The Golden Age (Third book in A Trip up North Series)
by So hard to choose usernames
Summary: After dragging myself out of Tartarus and taking the cure I thought I would finally have a normal demigod life, after all my warning said I'd be back for The Golden Age. Well, my normal demigod life includes demigods vanishing without a trace, reincarnations, monsters and mortal high school. So much for the Golden Age I was promised.
1. It's Good To Be Back

**Hi, sorry this took so long to get out but I've been busy. But I'm back now! I don't know how quick the updates are going to be at first, but I'd say the next update (at the latest) is five days away. Anyway, here's the first chapter of The Golden Age, enjoy!**

I'll spare you the Tartarus story, but man was it hard to get out of there. I mean sure I fought for the Olympians during the Titan and Giant wars, helped reclaim the oracle from Python and killed countless monsters and sent _them_ to Tartarus but haven't they ever heard of letting bygones be bygones?

I mean, I had to fight through endless monsters after re-spawning – as if that wasn't bad enough – and crawl out of hell, literally. I lost count of how many times I died down there, but I do know that I never want to check back in, the view sucks and so do the guests. Some monsters never change, maybe I'll tell you that story another time but for now that's not the important one.

I'll start off from when I managed to get out of Tartarus. I found myself in the weirdest spot: underwater.

Yup, I had to squeeze out through a small opening only to find myself underwater. Thankfully I'm a good swimmer, sadly the water was very polluted. The water was green, more like slime then water. I managed to get to the surface before realising I was in a lake of sorts, I swam to shore and collapsed, gasping and trying to wipe the green muck off of me. I officially looked like an alien from the movies I had seen before dying, glowing red eyes and completely green. My contacts had gotten destroyed in Tartarus.

 _Why is the water so polluted?_ I wondered. I mean I knew pollution was getting out of hand before I died but the pollution wasn't that bad when I left it. Just how long had I been gone for?

I flopped back on the grass, spreading my arms and taking a deep breath of the sweet air. I ripped up a handful of dirt and grass, letting it run through my fingers and curling the toes of my shoeless foot into the grass. Oh, I had missed this so much, just being able to relax and to smell non-poisonous air and step on not glass chipped ground, this was my Elysium.

I opened my eyes and stared up at the sky, it was nighttime, but man were the stars bright, and the moon . . . after the red light of Tartarus this seemed so bright it hurt my eyes. Still, the stars weren't as bright as I remembered them being.

I headed upstream, hoping to find the source for the pollution and civilization, maybe even a satyr to lead me to camp.

Camp, oh man, what if they moved it? Where was the heart of western civilization now? How many years has it been since I was killed in Python? Did they even remember me?

I knew Hailey had defeated Python somehow, the monsters in Tartarus had complained severely over that. I just didn't know how she had managed to defeat him, and depending on if she was killed in the fight or how long I had been gone for I might just never know.

I pushed those thoughts away, hoping at least for a stroke of good luck. I prayed to the Fates for good luck, I mean I think I deserved some good luck after everything I've went through.

After about an hour of walking I saw a big building, a treatment center of sorts, one that dumped all of its waste into the stream. No wonder the water was so polluted. It sickened me, after knowing satyrs that loved nature and Pan's death this was too much. I really hoped the rest of the world wasn't like this, a garbage dump.

I walked around the building, following the chain link fence until I found a dirt road heading through the forest. I followed the dirt road all night long before slipping into the trees to not be seen when the cars started coming about an hour or so till dawn. They weren't flying or completely technical so I had hope that I hadn't been in Tartarus for too long.

I walked all night long, but it still took me until noon to find a town. Man, that plant had really been in the middle of nowhere.

I looked down at my clothes and the gunk covering me and I sighed. I figured that if I walked around like this I'd get arrested or freak people out. I had no clothes to change into and I wasn't going to steal, I was going to figure out where I was and how to get to camp legally.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, summoning the mist for a first time in a long time. I let it cloak me from head to toe, imagining myself in jeans and a plain white shirt, with my old light grey eyes and not covered in green gunk and smelling like a sewer. After ten excruciating minutes I managed, already tired and realising how rusty I was with my mist manipulating skills.

I strolled into the town, looking for a restaurant or something so I could find out where I was, how far I was from New York (hopefully it wasn't too far), the date and hopefully the year. I wandered the little town but there was no sign of a restaurant or motel or anything, I guess it was too small. Eventually I just tapped a man on the shoulder and smiled, politely asking him for the date.

"September 3rd miss." He replied, looking a bit confused.

"Thank you." I said, smiling again before walking away. So satyrs should be scouring schools for half-bloods now, if I can find a half-blood I can find a satyr, easy right? However, I couldn't sense any demigod auroras in that town so I moved on, letting the mist fall when I was out of sight.

I travelled for two days before stumbling onto another town, this one bigger and it had a hotel. I was getting tired of the green gunk on me, and the smell was getting worse by the day but I didn't want to pollute any more streams by cleaning up there so I sucked it up.

I wrapped the mist around me again, setting off into the town to hopefully find out the year or where I was. After twenty minutes of searching I found a motel and I walked in with a smile, having already thought up a good lie. "Hi." I said, greeting the secretary. "Um, I'm a little lost, I'm on a road trip with my friends and we got lost, could you tell me where I am?"

The woman smiled. "Of course." She said sweetly. "You're in Georgia. Are you looking for Atlanta? It's about a half-hour North of here, you can't miss it, just get on the interstate."

"Thank you miss." I said with a smile, she smiled back at me and I glanced at the logbook on the desk to see the date. The last person to have checked out was Cecilia Jones on September 4th, 2073.

I had been in Tartarus for almost sixty years.

. . .

I walked to Atlanta in a daze, surprised by how much the world hadn't changed, yet how much it had at the same time. They were subtle details, hardly noticeable unless you were really looking. The air was thicker then I remembered, more polluted, the stars and moon weren't as bright and there were more planes flying overhead and cars driving by, a bigger population.

It took me a while to walk to Atlanta and I lost track of the time, in too much of a daze to pay attention. I was tempted to go wolf mode but I wanted to see the city, see how much it changed.

I walked into the city with the mist wrapped around me and I saw more buildings, bigger buildings and hospitals, better security systems and technology that blew my mind. But no flying cars or robot servants, I can't say that wasn't disappointing.

I saw a billboard on the screen talking about how much the cure for a few types of cancer costed and how they needed more donations to cure the rest of them. There was another about gold investments for life and another about different car insurances. It all seemed so sophisticated, so high-tech.

I just couldn't process it all, I had to get out of the city. It was all too much, too confusing. I managed to swallow my panic attack until I got out of the city and into the woods. Here is where I felt safe and at home, at least this hadn't changed.

I curled up in a ball and just sat there, my fingertip brushing up against the old tattoo I had gotten for Raymond and Jessica. I missed them so much it hurt and I had to blink away tears.

"I miss you guys." I whispered softly. "I hope you're happy in Elysium, or that you found each other again if you tried for rebirth. Wherever you are, I hope you're happy."

I moved my fingers to the raven tattoo and sighed. "Daniel, I wish I could have seen you again. You must have gotten Elysium for what you've done. I hope you're happy, even if you tried for rebirth, whatever you choose, I hope you're safe and happy. Hopefully Asclepius can make a cure and I can see you soon."

I stood up and took a deep breath, I could sightsee later, right now I wanted to get to camp and find out where Asclepius was so I could go get that potential cure. I didn't want to be immortal anymore, I just wanted to live a full life with my friends, I didn't want to be alone forever, I didn't want to go back to Tartarus when I died, I wanted Elysium or even the fields of Asphodel.

I closed my eyes and morphed into a wolf, figuring that this was the quickest way to travel and sprinting through the trees and heading straight for New York, using the map I had committed to memory a long time ago. Excitement coursed through me, giving me the strength to run.

I don't know how long it took me to get to New York, how many hours or days or even weeks, but I followed the cars and I morphed back into a human right outside of the city, almost forgetting the mist in my haste to get to camp, to see if it was still there.

I sprinted through the city, taking the direct route to camp. Of course it had changed along with the city, but for the most part it looked the same, only the buildings looked newer, there were solar panels on the roofs and people working on attaching more.

People gave me odd looks when they saw me running by and I heard a few people ask me if I was skipping school. But I ignored them and ran, using the route that Hailey had taken on her first trip to camp (although there were a few new streets and buildings where some old ones had been).

Truthfully I barely glanced at the city in my haste, it took me a few hours to navigate the city and by then it was almost dark out. I kept running, straight down the road I was familiar with and down to the border for camp, I was so giddy I had to resist the urge to skip and laugh. I was so close to getting back to camp and going to try and get the cure. So close to the Golden Age I was promised so long ago.

My only obstacle? The barrier.

I had to slow down when I neared Thalia's pine tree and I stuck out a finger, hesitantly trying to poke the barrier. I sighed when I couldn't go through it, I still needed permission, I guess it was a one-time deal. I sat at the summit, leaning my back on the barrier and keeping watch until morning, or until someone found me. I let the mist fall and I forced myself to stay awake.

I suddenly got nervous, thinking of all the ways this could go wrong.

 _What if they Asclepius was moved? What if their memories of me were wiped? What if they won't let me in? What if they don't believe me? Can Asclepius even cure me? Oh gods._

I spotted a guy walking down the road, a bag over his shoulder and a sword on his hip, he looked beat up and scratched to pieces, either a runaway that had heard of camp and was coming here for the first time or he had just gotten attacked. I waited for him and waved when he noticed me, he hesitantly waved back and I stood up, still leaning on the barrier.

When he was twenty feet away he froze and grabbed his sword, starring me in the eyes.

"I wouldn't bother." I said, jerking my chin to indicate his stygian iron sword. "Unless it's silver it won't hurt me."

"What do you want?" He asked, glancing behind me at the border, his tone wary and a little threatening.

"Permission to enter camp please." I said, examining him. He looked like he was around my age, about five foot seven with messy black hair and dark eyes, he was pretty pale and he was wearing dark jeans with a dark blue shirt, a skull ring on his finger that looked oddly familiar. I remembered who it belonged to in a flash, Nico di Angelo. I took an experimental sniff and yup, he smelt like death. "Son of Hades or Pluto?" I asked him, cocking my head slightly.

He had been backing up towards the road, probably planning on running to some shadows, but when I guessed his parentage he froze. "Hades." He said, after a slight hesitation. "I'm Greek, not Roman."

I hoped that meant he didn't see me as a threat but I noticed that he was still eyeing me warily, like he was waiting for me to attack. I decided to tease him a little, hanging out with monsters for years in hell isn't fun.

"It's the green stuff isn't it?" I asked him. "Pollution from a lake. Sad what the mortals have done to the earth." I looked at him and cocked my head slightly, he had started moving again and now he was half-way down the hill. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, sorry about that. My name is Dianna Ross, it's nice to meet you."

He had frozen again, his dark eyes widening with shock. "Prove it."

It was my turn to be shocked. "Wait, you know about me? Does that mean Hailey . . ?"

I stopped myself, even if she survived then she'd be dead by now, or – at the very least – close to eighty years old.

"Who's your Godly parent?" He said, the first in what I felt was going to be lots of questions about me.

"Hecate." I said, deciding to give him a brief biography since I was tired and hungry and didn't feel like answering all of his questions. "I was bitten by a lycanthrope on my first quest which was with Raymond and Jessica in the 1940's that ended with Hecate wiping everyone's memories of us and the gods making Chiron swear on the Styx not to talk about it."

He scowled and I grinned. "Any more questions?"

"I'll get Chiron out here to judge for himself." He said, looking behind me at the barrier and camp.

I stepped aside and waved my arm for him to pass. "Go ahead." I said with a small grin, trying to hide my nerves. "I don't bite."

 **So yeah, I kinda rushed her getting to camp but I wanted to just move that part out of the way so I can get this story moving along. Anyway, that's all for now so see ya soon! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

**Okay, so it was longer then five days, sorry about that. Anyway, thank you stormrunner74 for the first review and I hope this chapter is good as well. So anyway, not much else to say, enjoy!**

As I waited I manipulated the mist to make me look like my old self so I wouldn't scare any other half-bloods that might find me while I waited. I summoned my dagger, trying to twirl it around my fingers but failing miserably. I really had gotten rusty with my skills, sad really.

I sat down and picked a blade of grass, thinking of Hailey and wondering what she would think of the pollution, being a daughter of Demeter and all.

I closed my eyes and laid back on the grass, hands behind my head and a soft smile on my face as I thought of her and Zach fighting on the boat. I could picture them clearly and my heart pricked as I remembered we never got pictures together.

I sat up and pulled off my bronze bracelet, pulling my scrapbook out of my bag and lying on my stomach to leaf through it. I laughed softly as I looked at me pinching Raymond's cheeks and I had to wipe a tear from my eye as I remembered all of the good times we had together.

After leafing through all of the pictures I put it away and put my bracelet back on while I once again tried to practice twirling my knife between my fingers.

A couple minutes later I heard a blood-curdling scream and I jerked my head up and looked towards the sound of the scream. A ten year old was at the end of the street, lying down and trying to drag herself away as two empousia walked after her, and a Cyclopes was coming from farther back, holding a club.

I sprinted towards them, drawing my bow and aiming at the closest one. I fired and missed, but I did nick the Cyclopes ear and give him a nice new piercing. He jerked his head up and glared at me, I loaded another arrow as the two empousia stopped and glared at me.

"Get away from her." I said, my voice hard as I reached her, standing over her and noting her broken ankle.

Damn it, she couldn't run. That meant I had to kill all of these monsters while protecting someone who couldn't defend themselves. This was going to be tough.

"Fancy meeting you here." One of the empousia snarled and I narrowed my eyes at her, surprise and anger coursing through me as I recognised her.

"Hello Bella." I snarled. "I'm surprised it took you so long to crawl outta Tartarus, you did know the doors of death were open for a bit, right?" I asked, faking innocence.

She snarled at me. "You'd know all about crawling out of Tartarus, wouldn't you Ross?"

I forced myself not to flinch at her words as images of the place flashed into my mind, much worse then what Percy and Annabeth had described.

I shrugged. "I kinda miss the place." I lied. "I found a Hermes shrine down there, great tacos." It was true, the only human food I had gotten down there was in that place.

Bella smiled sweetly at me, but anyone could see it wad fake. "Good thing we're going to send you right back then, huh?"

"I'd like to see you try." I said. "Didn't kill me the last time, what makes you think this time will be different?"

"Because this time you don't have that Aphrodite brat to save you." She purred, glaring at me with undisguised hatred and I stiffened in anger.

"Her name was Jessica." I growled, taking a threatening step forwards. "And _do not_ insult her."

Bella opened her mouth but her friend was tired of chitchat and she blurred towards me. I spun and shot her point blank with an arrow. I didn't have time to load another one because Bella used this too run at me. I spun around her and using my bow to grab her neck as she ran by, I jumped on her back, straddling her. She shrieked and brought her arms up to claw me but the demigod on the ground swept her good leg out and knocked Bella to the ground.

I let go of her when we landed and jumped to my feet, summoning my dagger so I could kill her. Before I could however, I noticed the demigods eyes widen in fear and she opened her mouth to say something or scream but I had realised the problem and was already in motion.

My battle reflexes hadn't dulled if you're wondering, they actually got better sine I was fighting basically the whole time I was in Tartarus.

The Cyclopes was swinging his club down at me and if I dodged he'd hit the demigod and I couldn't allow that. So I calmly stepped in with my dagger and stabbed him in the chest, making him explode into dust, his club clattering to the ground harmlessly.

My feet were swept out from under me and I fell, something pouncing on my back midair. I twisted so that I landed on Bella but her teeth still sunk into my neck; however, she stopped biting me immediately and gagged.

"Gods!" she exclaimed in her annoying high-pitched voice. "You taste awful!"

I flipped around and smiled at her, letting the mist fade from my appearance. "Well . . ." I said, smirking "you know the weird places you pop up after crawling out of Tartarus. I'd love to hear all about the next place you end up when you come back."

Bella screamed in rage and jerked under me. I grabbed her shoulders and we rolled around, she scratched me while I actually tried to kill her. I finally managed to get some leverage and I kicked her off of me, planting both feet firmly on her gut before heaving her off of me, she flew backwards and a black blade cut her out of the air.

I scrambled to my feet and saw the same boy who I had talked to earlier. I got to my feet and pretended to dust myself off. "Thanks." I said. "She was getting on my nerves."

He looked skeptical but a gasp behind us interrupted whatever he was going to say. I turned and saw the girl, giving her a thumbs up. "Good job taking Bella down." I said and she smiled hesitantly.

"You knew them?" The boy said, an accusing tone in his voice.

"I knew the one you killed." I said. "She and I go _way_ back, she sucked my blood in the 1940's and my friend sent her to Tartarus. Hundred years later and nothing's changed, we've pretty much re-enacted the first time we had met."

He scowled at me. "I'm not your friend."

I put my hand over my heart. "Ouch." I said sarcastically. "Shots fired, oh what did I do for such a painful demise?"

He scowled again.

"Is that a default setting?" I asked, tilting my head. "You seem to scowl a lot."

He went to scowl and stopped himself, the girl on the ground giggled a little and I turned back to her. I looked at her ankle and whistled. "Well, that doesn't look to good."

Her expression turned sour and the boy glared at me. "It'll be fine." He said. "We just need to give her some ambrosia."

"No need." I said cheerfully, walking over to her. The boys hand tightened on his sword hilt and I ignored him.

I put my hand on her ankle and she flinched, I gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it may hurt for a little as your bones mend but I'm going to start the healing process on your ankle, okay?"

The girl nodded, tears in her eyes. She was a strong one, I studied her as I muttered the healing spell I always used on myself.

She was short, about four feet and seven inches tall with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. I took an experimental sniff to figure out her parentage but it was one I didn't know and I frowned softly, it was sorta like clovers and . . . wait, the Goddess of luck perhaps?

I fought back a yawn, man this was tiring, but I was almost done healing her ankle. When I was done I sat back and smiled softly. "Test it out." I said. "Good as new, right?"

The girl hesitantly flexed her ankle and her eyes widened in shock. "It doesn't even hurt." She breathed.

The boy's eyes widened slightly in shock and I frowned at him. "You thought I was going to hurt her, didn't you?" I accused him.

He shrugged. "Listen, no hard feelings but you have glowing red eyes and you said you crawled out of Tartarus, you're a monster and most monsters kill half-bloods."

"Most." I agreed with him, anger flooding through me. "And if you really think that I chose to be like this or was even born this way then you are mistaken. I was bitten on a quest, sure being bitten by a lycanthrope saved me from going to The Underworld but I honestly would have rather died. Now I'm almost 200 years old, have seen the pits of hell themselves and don't even get me started on how _painful_ it is to reform and then to wake up having every monster in Tartarus trying to kill you and struggling to crawl out without knowing what kind of world you're going to see considering the last time you were on the surface you died on a quest to save the world, _again_ and you didn't live long enough to see the ending."

I admit it, I was a bit harsh with him, he was suspicious of me, I mean who wouldn't be? But I was tired of fighting and running and I hadn't slept in nearly sixty years (although it only felt like weeks, time passes differently in Tartarus) and I was just not in the mood for this.

Both him and the girl stared at me in shock and disbelief.

"Will you let me into Camp now?" I asked him. "I need a shower, and a nap. Some food would be nice to."

"Okay." He said and I got up, resisting the urge to stretch and yawn.

"Don't worry, I won't be staying long." I told him. "I have to go find Asclepius and see if he can make a cure for me."

He frowned. "You mean you don't know?"

I tilted my head and frowned at him. "Don't know what?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes slightly.

"Hailey got the Gods to make you a cure." He explained. "Chiron's been holding onto it for you, waiting for you to come back."

 **Okay, sorry for any spelling errors, I had to update quickly so I didn't have time to give it one final read like I usually do. So the next update will be Sunday at the latest, I'm not sure how many days yet, I'll wait until I have a couple more chapters pre-written to pick a schedule for updating. So yeah, see you soon! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Familiar Faces

**Okay, so at the bottom of this chapter I'm putting an AN about my updating schedule that you should probably read, I'd write it up here but I don't know about you but I'm not a fan of long AN's at the beginning of a chapter. But just one thing before the chapter, for Stormrunner74, yes they did meet Bella in Minnesota. And bunshort, thanks :). Anyway, onto the chapter, enjoy!**

"W – what?" I stammered, looking at him in surprise. Hailey had done that for me? I could be cured? It was at camp?

It was so close, I couldn't believe it.

"The Gods reward for you helping defeat Python." He said, studying me. "That's what she said anyways."

I sat down hard, still trying to process this. "That – that's . . . wow. I – I thought . . . I mean, I've always had such bad luck . . . it's really so easy?"

For the first time the boy's eyes softened slightly, as if he could relate with having bad luck. "Don't jinx yourself."

I started laughing, maybe a little hysterically but man it felt good to laugh. I wiped away tears and looked up at him, smiling hesitantly, than I thought of something.

"Where's Chiron?"

The boy scowled. "The Hunters of Artemis are here, he's at the campfire with them so I decided to stand guard until he was done."

"You don't like the hunters?" I asked curiously.

"No." He said. "They broke my leg before because they thought I was checking them out when I was actually checking their fighting stances."

"Ouch." I said, getting back up. "Well, let's go. I've got a cure waiting for me."

The girl stood up hesitantly. "So . . . this camp. I'll be safe there?"

The boy looked at her and smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, there's a magical border around the camp that keeps the monsters out. Everything will be explained in there, I'll introduce you to Chiron, but you'll have to get the tour tomorrow since it's late."

She nodded and I looked at her. "What's your name?" I asked her. "I'm Dianna Ross."

"Lilian Fox."

I looked at the boy, waiting for him to say his name, he sighed before saying. "Alex Worth."

Lilian smiled and got to her feet, obviously still surprised by the lack of pain. I let Alex lead the way up the hill and he paused at the top, glancing at me. "I hope I'm not going to regret this." He muttered. I opened my mouth to make a report but he cut me off by saying: "I, Alex Worth, give you permission to enter camp!"

I reached my hand out hesitantly, smiling when I wasn't stopped by the barrier. I took a step forwards, staring in shock at camp.

It had changed, a lot. The first time I had been here there had been twelve cabins, the second they had been building more for the minor gods but there had been almost thirty. Now there were hundreds of shrines and cabins.

"Did Jason do this?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice.

"Jason Grace?" Alex asked and I nodded. "Yeah, him and Annabeth Chase. Construction ended a few years ago, now we're making sure we didn't miss any."

"Are they still alive?" I asked.

"No."

"Oh." I said softly, sighing sadly. I guess that explains why I couldn't get through the barrier, Annabeth had been the one to give me permission. "How'd they die?"

"They were attacked by monsters on their way to Camp from New Rome." Alex said. "They weren't as young as they used to be."

I nodded and looked at Alex. "Can I shower before meeting Chiron?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. "I smell."

Lilian giggled and Alex led us to the big house. "I'll get you some new clothes as well." He said, stepping back into the shadows. "Use the showers here."

He was gone before I could thank him. Lilian looked shell-shocked and I had to explain what shadow travelling was before heading into the shower, washing sixty years' worth of gunk off of me.

If I could've stayed in there forever I would have, but I forced myself to get out when I was cleaned up, feeling like I had shed a few pounds (which I probably had). I saw a camp shirt, dark jeans and a belt on the toilet and I put them on.

They were too big but I wasn't complaining. Not only were my old clothes covered in gunk they were so shredded, burned and dirty that I don't think they classified as clothes, or even cloth.

I headed out barefoot, since I didn't have socks or shoes and I threw my old clothes in the fireplace, silently apologising to Hestia as they burned, not a very good burnt offering if you ask me.

"Sorry they're big." Alex said when I walked over to him and Lilian. "They're mine."

"It's fine." I said with a smile. "Thanks."

"To the campfire then." Alex said, heading out the door and letting us follow him to the campfire. I was nervous, playing with the fabric on Alex's t-shirt.

 _What would the campers think of me? Did Chiron really have a cure for me? Would it work?_

Alex must have sensed my anxiety, he dropped back to walk by me, looking a bit unsure of himself.

"Look . . . I'm sure you'll be fine." He said. "You'll adjust to camp life easily. I bet you'll be popular, after all you're a legend to them."

"Thanks." I said, not sure what else to say. "But I don't want to be popular."

"Well, what do you want to do?" Alex asked me.

"Get the cure from Chiron and use it." I said with a wistful smile. "I can't wait to be mortal again."

"I mean after that." Alex said. "What do you plan on doing with your life?"

I stopped dead, surprised. What did I want to do with my life when I was mortal again? I had spent all of this time trying too hard to be mortal, yet I didn't know what I would do or how I would live my life.

What could I even do? I had been dead for sixty years, I didn't even know what the world was like anymore. Oh gods, what was I supposed to do?

Alex looked back at me. "You don't really need a plan." He said with a shrug, putting his hands in his pockets. "Just go with the flow of things, see where life takes you."

I nodded, starting to walk again.

Just wing it, I could do that.

I heard people laughing and singing at the amphitheatre and my heart started pounding in my chest. We were approaching it when the singing stopped and I heard a little boy call out:

"Can you tell us about your quest again? Please?"

People started agreeing, asking them to tell the story and I stayed back in the shadows, wondering what people had been up to since I've been gone; what kind of quests the oracle had sent people on.

Chiron pounded his hoof for silence and everyone fell silent.

"Now, would you like to share –" Chiron began but was interrupted by Lilian who gasped in shock when she saw him, running out and staring at him in awe. "You're a horse!" She exclaimed.

"A centaur my dear." Chiron explained patiently. "And you are?"

"Lilian Fox." She said.

Alex looked at me and I shook my head, indicating that I'd wait a bit longer before heading out. He shrugged and walked out of the shadows, making people jump in surprise. "I just brought her in." He told Chiron, ignoring everyone's reactions. "She hasn't seen the orientation film yet."

"Ah, my dear, do you know who your parents are?" Chiron asked.

"My dad's name is Thomas." Lilian said. "I never knew my mom." Just as those words left her mouth there was a flash of light and a horseshoe floated above her head. People smiled and started to clap as Lilian stood there, confused.

"You've just been claimed." Alex explained. "Your mother is Tyche, Goddess of fortune and luck."

"You mean my mom's a Goddess?" Lilian said, her eyes wide.

A boy stood up from across the amphitheatre, he looked like he was seventeen with brown hair and green eyes, he was pretty handsome and seemed nice. "You're right." He said. "I'm Gordon MacDonald, head councillor of cabin 19. Welcome to the family sis."

Lilian beamed at him. "Since mom's the Goddess of luck does that mean I 'm really lucky?"

Gordon chuckled. "We're luckier than most people." He admitted. "But don't get cocky, mom doesn't like arrogance."

Lilian nodded quickly, bouncing on her toes. "This is so cool!" She said, looking at Alex with a smile. "But what were those things that attacked me?"

"Those were monsters." Alex told her. "They try to eat children of the Gods."

"They didn't eat me!" Lilian boasted.

"You got lucky." Alex told her. "You need to train, that's what camp is for. Training to defend yourself and kill monsters."

Lilian nodded enthusiastically. "I did get lucky!" She said. "You guys saved me and healed me!"

"You guys?" Gordon said sceptically. "Who was with you Alex?"

"Another person I found and brought in." Alex said.

"Two half-bloods without a Satyr in one day?" Someone said, surprised.

"Where are they?" Gordon asked. "Were they injured? Is that why they're not with you?"

Alex looked over at me and I hesitantly stepped out of the shadows with my hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Hi."

Everyone was silent, staring at my glowing red eyes in shock and I waited for someone to speak.

"You idiot!" A girl finally shouted, standing up from a group of girls dressed in silver camouflage. She had long blonde hair braided over her shoulder and emerald green eyes, about 13 or so. "That's a monster! A lycanthrope! What were you thinking?! Why the Hades did you let it in?!"

"She said please."

"Di immortals!" The girl cursed, summoning her bow and a silver arrow. I flinched, not wanting to die so soon after crawling out of hell. But I couldn't hurt her, I mean I could but I didn't want to hurt a demigod again.

"Hey – wait!" Alex said, putting his hands up as a gesture of peace as she pulled back the string and I tensed to dodge.

"NO!" Someone shouted and a girl jumped up from the same group, lunging at the girl aiming a bow at me. She grabbed the bow and arrow with one hand, stopping her from firing and kicking her behind the knee, making the other girl stumble. She ripped the bow from her hands and threw it away.

"What the Hades?!" The girl exclaimed, glaring at the girl who had just saved me. The girl didn't answer, instead turning and sprinting over to me. She threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly and starting to sob.

"Uh . . ." I said, blinking in surprise and stiffening. I can honestly say that I didn't expect this to happen.

"Hey! Get away from her! She's a monster!" The girl who tried to shoot me yelled.

"Shut up Tabitha! She's not a monster!" The girl hugging me yelled, spinning around and glaring at her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I blinked in surprise, opening my mouth to protest. I was a lycanthrope after all, but the words died in my mouth when I got a good look at her. She had long brown hair tied back into a ponytail and her green eyes shone with tears, she looked like she was about fifteen years old, standing at five foot two.

" . . . Hailey?"

 **Tada! Okay, first off sorry about killing off Annabeth and Jason but it had to be done. Anyway, about my updating schedule. I'm heading to a summer camp for 6 weeks tomorrow, so sadly that means I can't update because there's no internet there. I though I'd have until Monday but I don't so I can't post another chapter before I leave. So the next update will probably be the 14th or 15th of August, I get back the 13th but I probably won't be able to update that day. So yeah, that's it. I'll see you in six weeks with the next chapter. :)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Cure

**Hey guys, sorry for being MIA for so long, I got back a few days ago but I haven't been able to post for a bit and I had to finish the chapter first. I promise the next chapter won't take nearly as long to be posted but I'm not sure when it'll be up yet. Anyway, not sure this chapter was worth so long of a wait but the story should pick up soon, hope you enjoy. :)**

Hailey turned around, her eyes shining with tears. I stared at her in shock before reaching out and pulling her into a tight hug, she hugged me back and I felt my legs give out from under me and we sank to the ground together.

"You're okay." I whispered, tears pouring down my face. I couldn't believe she made it, she didn't die on the quest, hell, she looked like she barely aged. At that second I didn't pause to wonder why, I was just so happy to see her here, alive and unharmed.

"I – I'm sorry!" Hailey sobbed, burying her face in my shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to help you . . ."

"It's okay." I whispered, closing my eyes and thinking about that fateful day. "It wasn't your fault."

"But it was." Hailey sobbed. "I killed Python and he exploded and you died! I killed you!"

I stiffened in shock and Hailey pulled away, her green eyes filled with guilt. " _Nature's choice leads to death_." She whispered, reciting a line from our old prophecy. "It was your death or the world. I – I killed you and sent you to – to . . ." She cut herself off with a choked sob, unable to say that evil word; the name of the one place that I knew would haunt my nightmares for as long as I lived, and then some.

"Oh." I said softly, slowing absorbing this new piece of information.

She blamed herself for sending me to Tartarus?

"Oh Hailey, you did the right thing. You can't blame yourself. I would've died anyways, you saved me from a lot of pain. And you saved the world." I reassured her, wondering just how long she had been struggling with this guilt.

 _How long has she been blaming herself?_

"B – but . . ." Hailey whispered, looking up at me as if she expected me to be mad at her. "You died."

I swallowed hard, trying not to think of my time in Tartarus. "Yeah, but I'm back now." I told her. "And you just saved me now."

Hailey wiped the tears from her cheeks, sniffling a little bit.

"How come you look the same?" I asked her, confused. She looked almost exactly like I remembered her, but it didn't make sense because that had been sixty years ago.

 _I'm not hallucinating, am I?_

"You look like you barely aged." I took an experimental sniff, relieved when I didn't smell any monster scents. She wasn't a lycanthrope like me. "You're not a monster and I'm pretty sure I'm not hallucinating, I don't think I'm that crazy."

It was true, she still smelled like nature and the forest. Her old demigod smell, but something was different. Her aura was stronger, the scents of the forest sharper somehow.

"I'm a hunter of Artemis now." Hailey explained, wiping the tears from her eyes and looking like she was done crying for the moment. "I – I joined up about a year after . . ." She trailed off and looked at me sadly. "I just wanted to see you again." She whispered.

I looked at her in surprise, noticing what she was wearing for the first time: the silver camouflage outfit of the hunters.

"You – you became immortal?" I whispered in shock, "just to see me again?"

Hailey nodded, looking at me. "I – I had to apologise." She whispered. "And . . . I wanted to give you the cure myself. I got Apollo to pull some strings with Zeus to allow Asclepius to make it for you. It's in the Big House now."

I stared at her in shock. _She did all of that for me?_ I reached forwards and pulled her into another tight hug. "Thank you," I whispered, honestly touched.

"I missed you." Hailey whispered.

"I missed you too." I whispered, pulling back to look at her. "But what happened after I got swallowed? How did you kill Python?"

Hailey gave me a little smile. "I couldn't have done anything without Apollo and Lady Artemis; they saved my life more times than I can count." She stood up and offered me a hand up, I took it and she hauled me to my feet without much effort.

 _She's gotten stronger since I saw her last, what else has changed about her?_

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Dianna Ross." Hailey said to everyone in the Amphitheatre and everyone gasped in shock; except for Chiron, Alex and Lilian.

"The girl from your story! Cool!" A little boy exclaimed from where the Aphrodite cabin sat, the first to speak up after a bit of uncomfortable silence.

People immediately started asking me questions about Python, the quests, my past and Tartarus.

I thought I had been ready for questions, boy was I wrong. The questions washed over me and I felt like I was drowning in them. I felt panicky and I wanted nothing more than to run into the woods and hide, but I couldn't. My feet were rooted to the spot and I felt tiny under everyone's stares, their words a distant buzzing in my ears as I fought down some nausea.

Chiron stamped his hoof on the ground, breaking me out of the spell I was in and I realised I was feeling faint.

"Enough." He ordered the demigods and gratitude swelled in my chest for him. "We'll learn her story later, for now she needs food and rest. In fact, I think it would be best for everyone to get some rest. Let's leave Dianna to catch up with her friend." He looked at me softly, as if knowing what I was feeling. "Once you're done catching up you can stay in a spare room at the Big House."

I nodded at him, watching as all of the other demigods left, some looked awed and others wary. Lillian trailed off after her cabin, talking quickly and bouncing on her toes. Alex was the last to leave, giving me a long, searching look before stepping backwards and melting into the shadows.

Chiron cantered forwards and bent to give me a hug. "It's great to have you back Dianna." He told me warmly, making my eyes mist up.

"It's good to be back." I told him, my voice choked up. Chiron just smiled at me and headed off to wherever he slept.

I looked over at Hailey and she gave me a smile. "How are you?" She asked me gently, studying me and all of my scars, some old and some fresh.

I opened my mouth to respond but completely fell apart under her warm green eyes. Everything came out as I cried, everything I ever held back on since I died. All of the fear, pain and worry I had been carrying around, the weight of everything I had to do to survive. Hailey stepped forwards and pulled me into a hug, letting me cry it out on her shoulder.

I don't know how long I cried for, but she never said a word, just held me. When I fell silent she whispered in my ear. "You're okay now, this is a fresh start. The world doesn't need saving anymore, you can retire."

I laughed, albeit a bit bitterly. "Since when can a half-blood retire?"

"Since we allied with the Romans," Hailey told me. "They have New Rome, a safe place for a half-blood to grow old and raise a family, you could move there, a fresh start."

I was already shaking my head before she could finish. There was no way I could go there with the knowledge that I had murdered so many Roman's as a wolf, with the knowledge that they had killed Jessica and so many of my other friends. Sure, maybe not these particular Romans but it felt like a betrayal to my friend's memory to even consider it.

"No, I'm staying at Camp." I told Hailey, wiping the last of my tears away.

"For how long?" She asked me. "You can't stay here forever." Her green eyes lit up and she smiled. "You could become a hunter like me." She said excitedly, looking overjoyed at the prospect of us becoming semi-immortal together and fighting monsters with other man-hating teenaged girls until the fateful day that we were killed by monsters.

I hated to squash her hopes but there was no way I could do that. I had died painfully too many times. I didn't want to die at the hands of a monster, terrified and in pain, I didn't want to swear off a love-life and I sure as hell didn't want to be immortal – in any sense – for any longer.

I wanted to age, I wanted to get a boyfriend, I wanted a semi-normal existence where I grew old (or at least older then I am now, I know monsters would still be out to get me). I wanted, more than anything, to age with friends and a family, to live a life that I had watched so many people have over the lonely years I had been alive.

I wanted a life, and I hoped the fates would be kind enough to grant me that wish, to leave me alone and let the younger demi-gods handle the dangers. I figured I had done more than enough for my lifetime.

I shook my head and her face fell. "I'm sorry Hailey." I told her sincerely. "But I don't want to be immortal any longer, I don't want to die at the hands of monsters. I want . . . I want a life."

She looked down sadly, fiddling with a silver arrowhead and I fought the urge to lean away from her, butterflies dancing in my stomach.

"I get it." She said softly, looking up at me sadly. "In the beginning I became a hunter just so I could see you again. I watched everyone I knew and loved grow up and die, I let them believe I was missing, I couldn't go back and explain myself. They'd never believe me and it would have hurt more than it would have helped. I regretted it at first but then I found a new family in the hunters." She reached out and gave my hand a squeeze. "I'm going to stay a hunter." She told me, filling me with sadness. "In case you ever change your mind." She told me, slipping a silver pamphlet into my pocket.

I doubted I'd ever change my mind but I didn't have the heart to give it back to her.

We got up and headed to the Big House in silence for a bit until I decided to end it. "Did Zach get Elysium?" I asked her softly and she nodded.

"Apollo told me he did." Hailey told me, turning her head away from me slightly. I frowned softly, wondering if I was just imagining the slight blush on her cheeks. I shook the thought from my head.

 _Why would Hailey have blushed,_ I silently scolded myself, feeling dumb.

"He deserved it." I said, walking forwards but stopping a few steps later when I realised Hailey had stopped. I heard sniffles from her direction and slightly ragged breathing. "You okay?" I asked her, turning towards her.

"I – I . . ." Hailey whispered, her eyes filled with guilt and shame. "I called him a coward. The last thing I ever told him was that I didn't need him." Her eyes filled with tears while I just stood there, shell-shocked.

"Why?" I asked softly, unable to believe she would ever tell anyone that, let alone Zach. But when I looked into her eyes I saw the guilt swimming around in her eyes and I knew she couldn't be lying.

"I – I was so angry." She whispered, a tear trailing down her cheek. "He just left you to Python's mercy and he was running away and – and . . ." She took a deep, shaky breath. "I told him that and I left, then I see him setting off the explosion and I never got to tell him I was sorry." She bowed her head and started crying softly, her shoulders shaking from soft sobs.

"He knew you didn't mean it." I told Hailey gently.

Hailey shook her head quickly, messing her braid up. "No, I did mean it at the time but I was so wrong." She let out a sharp sob. "I was wrong."

I stepped forwards and hugged her tightly, letting her sob onto my shoulder, my mind reeling from the intake of information.

 _She's been carrying around this guilt for almost sixty years._

"He knows." I reassured her, wondering if I was lying. "You guys were friends, he'd know you were saying it out of anger."

 _Right?_

Hailey shook in my arms with her sobs.

"Hailey." I murmured, hugging her. "Zach would have known you were speaking from anger. He was smart, he'd have known you truly didn't mean it." I pulled back slightly to wipe her tears away. "He's probably down in Elysium waiting for us."

Hailey sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Gods, I'm a mess today."

I laughed softly. "I think you have the right to fall apart every once in a while." I told her. "Everyone needs to cry it out sometime."

Hailey nodded and gave me a small smile. "I really am glad you're back." She told me.

"I am too." I told her with a little grin and she laughed a bit, giving me a quick hug before we headed off again.

"Thanks." I told her softly. "For getting the cure for me, I was worried I'd have to go questing for it."

"No problem." Hailey said quickly. "It was the least I could do for you."

"How did you get it?" I asked her curiously.

"Uh . . ." Hailey said, blushing slightly. "Oh look, we're here!" She said, changing the subject and quickly heading to the door of the Big House.

 _Odd._ I thought, following her up the steps and into the Big House. Thankfully it hadn't changed much since I was here all those years ago, it was still the same old design, making it feel that much more like home.

"Where is the cure?" I asked Hailey. "Can I take it now?"

"About that cure . . ." Hailey said, scratching the back of her head. I frowned softly at her but Chiron came wheeling himself in before I could speak.

"Ah, Dianna, would you like that spare room now?" He asked me.

"Can I have the cure now?" I asked Chiron and he looked over at Hailey.

"You haven't told her?"

"Told me what?" I asked, feeling a bit panicky.

 _They said they had the cure? Did they lie to me? Am I going to stay like this forever? No, no, no. I can't stay like this forever. I can't go back to Tartarus. Please, the Fates can't be that cruel, can they?_

"The cure . . . it might – it might . . ." Hailey trailed off, looking at the floor. "It could kill you." She whispered.

I froze, staring at her. _After surviving so much I might get killed by the one thing that could save me?_ I held down a laugh, figuring I would look a bit crazy if I laughed. _Just my luck._

"We figured you should understand the risk before taking it." Chiron explained. "Would you still like it?"

I looked over at Hailey but she was staring at the floor.

"If it does kill me." I began slowly. "Would I . . . I mean . . . would I go to the Underworld or . . ." I trailed off, unable to say it.

"The Underworld." Chiron said with a kind smile, looking at me in understanding. Of course, he had to have dealt with Percy, Annabeth and Nico after their trip into Hell so he probably knew what I was thinking. "With your history, Elysium is the most likely."

I thought about all of the bad I had done in my life, trying to figure out if I truly deserved Elysium. Still, even the Fields of Asphodel was better then Tartarus.

"I want the cure." I told Chiron. "I'm sick of being immortal and I want to go to the Underworld when I die. I don't – I can't go back there."

He nodded in understanding, wheeling out to presumably get me the cure. Hailey turned to me, desperation in her eyes.

"Apollo told me that your survival depends on your will to live." She told me urgently. "The harder you fight for survival the more likely you re to win. If you give up then . . ." She trailed off. "Please Dianna, please promise me you'll fight it, that you'll fight death."

"I promise." I told Hailey, not sure what else to say. She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back, wondering if I really wanted to live in this age.

Chiron came back in, a mahogany box sitting on his lap. "This box used to hold the piece of firewood that controlled Franks life." He explained to me. "Apollo thought it fitting that the cure go in here. Since it's your salvation but could also be your destruction, just like Frank's firewood."

"Poetic." I grumbled under my breath.

"He is the God of poetry." Hailey said, trying to lighten the situation up and break the tension that had sprung up.

Chiron opened the box and I saw a needle filled with a red liquid the colour of blood. _Or my eyes._

I reached out to grab it, noticing my hand was shaking slightly. I took a deep breath, steadying my hand and grabbing the needle, examining the liquid with my heart in my throat.

 _This is it, the cure. I can finally end this curse, this nightmare that I've been living in._

 _I can be mortal._

 _Or I can die._

 _Either way it ends today, today I'm free._

I took a deep breath, turning an arm around and sticking the needle into a vein in my wrist. I looked up at Hailey and Chiron, hesitating.

"If – if I don't make it." I told them softly. "Thank you for everything."

"It was a pleasure knowing you my dear." Chiron told me, his brown eyes soft and sad.

Hailey nodded, her eyes begging me not to die. "Thank you for everything Dianna." She whispered. "Good luck."

I nodded, giving her a small smile and looked down at the needle in my wrist, taking a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing." I whispered, pressing down on the plunger.

 **Tada! A bit of a cliffy there for you, and at long last she gets her cure. :) Anyway, like I said not sure when the next chapter will be up but it should be within the week. So until then, peace.**


	5. Chapter 5: My Choice

**Hello :) I'm back with another chapter this week just like I said. Sorry I don't have a regular updating schedule yet but I'm working on it, I want to get a couple extra chapters typed up first. Anyway, enough with the boring AN, onto the chapter! :)**

I watched the liquid go into my arm, until there was none left to go in, waiting for something to happen. Everything in the room was silent, I could probably hear a pin drop even without my wolf senses.

"Did it work?" I asked in confusion, looking up at Hailey and Chiron for confirmation.

But I was alone.

"Hello?" I called, my heart starting to pound in my chest. "Hailey? Chiron?"

I looked around the big house, setting the empty needle on the coffee table, trying to find them. "Hello? Is anyone here? What's going on?"

I walked back into the living room, looking around as I scratched my head in confusion. I headed over to the table to examine the needle and try and figure out what the Hades I had injected myself with, but the needle was gone.

"Okay." I said softly, freezing in place. "Something's up."

I concentrated, trying to summon my weapons but nothing happened, making me even more nervous. I resisted the urge to run in fear, deciding to head out of the Big House to see what was happening in Camp Half-blood.

I pushed open the door, noticing the inky blackness in front of me, too dark for me to see anything. I turned back towards the Big House to grab a light but even that had vanished.

 _What's going on?_ I thought, trying to swallow my panic as I looked around hopelessly. I took slow steps forwards, my heart pounding in fear.

See, I'm not afraid of the dark exactly. I just have enough experience knowing what bad things lurk in the darkness, just waiting for their chance to get at you. The dark is where the bad things happen without anyone seeing them.

I'm pretty sure everyone is afraid of the dark in some way, whether it's the actual dark or what lurks inside of it. I've been on both ends of the deal, the hunter and the hunted, and neither of those is a pleasant experience.

But _this_ , this darkness engulfed me, bringing back all of my memories, even ones I thought I had forgotten, or had tried so hard to forget.

Christmas's, birthday's, wars, school, every memory of mine came to the surface. Each one vying for my attention.

" _I don't want to lose you."_

" _Dianna! Dianna stay with me! Don't you dare close your eyes!"_

" _Welcome to Alaska."_

" _Hey, this isn't a final goodbye, remember?"_

" _It's going to be my fault when one of you die."_

" _What happened to you?"_

All the deaths stood out the most, all of my failures and mistakes, pretty much every wrong thing I'd ever done.

That's what the dark is, isn't it: A place for you to reflect on all of your wrongdoings, a place where your evil nature comes out to play, where your imagination can run wild.

Then I saw a small light in the distance and I had to squint against it. Any light after crushing darkness is almost unbearable. It slowly grew, pushing the darkness away from me. I shielded my eyes, peeking out again after a couple minutes.

I was sitting on the floor of a waiting room, the place completely empty except for me. I looked around with frown, noticing that the doorway out was open, leading out into blinding white light, while the rest of the room was draped in shadows.

"Ah yes, you've finally made it have you?" A voice said with a thick British accent.

"What?" I said, blinking and looking at the desk to see a man sitting there in an Italian suit. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"As if you don't know." He scoffed. "Look, the doors still open so you can leave if you want. Unlike others you actually have a choice, just don't keep me waiting too long, I have other business to attend to."

"Choice?" I asked, baffled. I rubbed my temples with my fingertips, wishing for once that someone would give me a straight answer. "What choice?"

"Are you coming with me or not?" He asked, standing and walking towards the elevator. "I have room for one more on the elevator. Hurry up or I'll leave without you and you'll be stuck waiting for a long while."

"Where would you take me?" I asked him, eyeing the elevator.

"So many questions." He muttered, shaking his head. "Girl I'm giving you a free pass, as per request, so are you coming?"

I looked back at the door, hesitant.

If I went with him I felt like it would be a one-way trip, no refunds. Yet I felt a sense of peace, as if it would all be over. When I looked at the doorway all I felt was uncertainty and pain.

So I had two options, two doorways to be exact. I had no idea what laid beyond either and when I took one the other would close, I assumed at least. No turning back from my choice.

I stood slowly, looking back at the light.

Fear and uncertainty, I had enough of that for a lifetime. I turned away from it, heading towards the elevator where the man smiled at me.

"Good, very good." He told me, pressing the button to call the elevator. "You've made your choice?"

I opened my mouth to respond, to tell him that I had, when I noticed something out of the corner of my eyes.

Some _one_ to be exact.

Alex.

" _You_." The man said distastefully. "What are you doing here? This is private matters, they don't concern you. It's not your time yet unfortunately. Be gone."

 _His time? What's going on? Maybe he can explain._

Alex locked eyes with me, stepping back into the shadows without saying a word, his dark eyes emotionless.

 _He's going to shadow travel._

"Hey – wait!" I said running forwards, overtaken by curiosity. I _had_ to know what this place was, what I was getting myself into. "Alex – stop!"

I latched onto his arm a split second before the shadows engulfed him, and – since I was holding onto him – they covered me to.

"No!" The man yelled. "This isn't how it works! You don't know what you've done Alex! She was dead! She belongs to your father!"

I was hauled into the darkness, voices whispering to me in many languages, and the last thing I heard before passing out was the ding of an elevator.

. . .

My eyes snapped open and I sat up quickly, looking around in a panic. I noticed Hailey fall backwards on her butt as she moved to avoid me, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Oh! You're alive!" She cried, flinging herself forwards and hugging me tightly. "I thought . . . I mean I was really worried . . . I just . . . you weren't . . ." She babbled, almost crushing me in a hug.

"Uh . . . what happened?" I asked, hesitantly hugging her back.

"Chiron! She's awake!" Hailey yelled, pulling back and keeping her hands on my shoulders, looking over her shoulder at the doorway. "He'll answer your questions, don't worry."

I looked around, realising I was on a bed in one of the Big Houses spare rooms, a small Band-Aid on my wrist where I had injected myself and a killer migraine setting in.

"How long was I out for?" I asked, putting a hand to my head. Gods, it was like I had a second heartbeat up there.

"Couple hours." Hailey replied as Chiron wheeled himself in.

Chiron looked at me with relief clear in his eyes. "Oh, you're awake. Thank the Gods, I thought for sure we were going to lose you."

"I – I don't understand." I told him, trying to think past my headache. "What happened? Did it . . . did it work?"

I held my breath as I waited for his answer, my heart pounding in my chest.

"I'm not too sure." Chiron told me, wheeling closer and examining my eyes. "Your eyes have returned to their normal color, more or less."

"More or less?" I whispered, my shoulders slumping in defeat. If it didn't work then . . . Gods, what would I do?

"They have flecks of red in them." Hailey told me, studying my eyes. "Only really noticeable if you're looking."

I nodded, twisting my fingers together as I debated trying to go wolf mode to see if it had worked.

 _No, not in the middle of camp filled with demigods, if it didn't work I don't want to take any chances._

"You should get some rest now, it's been a long day, and you must be exhausted." Chiron told me, motioning for Hailey to follow him.

"I'll be in the Artemis cabin if you need anything." Hailey promised me, giving me a quick hug before getting up and leaving, casting one last glance over her shoulder at me before going.

Before Chiron left he gave me a smile. "We'll get you settled in the Hecate cabin tomorrow." He promised me. "It's great to have you back."

I settled back against the bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with countless questions.

 _Am I cured? What was that dream about? Who was in it? Why was Alex there? What did that guy mean when he said I was dead? If I'm cured why are my eyes still flecked with red? Did it work completely?_

 _Maybe I can ask Alex in the morning what the Hades happened._

I closed my eyes, falling asleep quickly and wondering just what was in store for me tomorrow.

 **Thanks for the reviews by the way :) And Loloree, saying you hope I update soon won't discourage me from updating, don't worry. Anyway, see you with the next chapter sometime this week (and hopefully an updating schedule). See ya!**


	6. Chapter 6: Sweet Dreams

**Okay, so I haven't posted in a little bit and I'm sorry about that. I'm not going to give you a long list of excuses because it doesn't really matter and the list isn't very long anyways. So for updates it's probably going to be on the weekends for a bit, if I can get a chapter up during the week I will and I'll try to get another chapter up this weekend but no promises. Anyways, on with the chapter. :)**

Ah, demigod dreams, the one thing I did not miss about being mortal, or at least semi-mortal. You know, I was hoping for _at least_ one good night's rest before the dreams started again. But nope, the moment I closed my eyes I was plunged into a dream, a couple of them in fact.

I was in a throne room made of glittering black obsidian, a man seated upon a black onyx throne made with human skulls. The man's black silk robs seemed to be made of souls, tortured faces appearing in the dark fabric as if begging for help.

 _Harsh._

I saw a boy kneeling at the foot of the throne, his head bowed. With a start I realized it was Alex and I realized that the God on the Throne must be Hades, his father. And boy did Hades not look happy.

"Father," Alex said softly and respectively as he knelt.

"Rise," Hades ordered and Alex did, but hesitantly, as if waiting for bad news. "I take it you know what you've done."

"Father, I didn't –" Alex began, cut off by Hades.

"Enough! I don't want to hear your excuses!" He roared, making me jump in surprise. I saw Alex tense up in surprise and maybe a bit of fear. Hades noticed and his dark eyes softened fractionally, barely enough to be noticed. "Tell me why."

"I sensed a powerful death approaching." Alex began, explaining to his father. "But it was odd, I felt that the closer they got to death the less power they got. I decided to investigate. I didn't mean for it to go down like that, I'm sorry father."

"Charon was very unhappy." Hades told him. "As was Thanatos, they'd been waiting for that soul for a while."

"I know father." Alex said. "She noticed my presence and grabbed onto my arm when I tried to shadow travel away."

I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. _They were talking about me._ That dream I had . . . how had I not realised? Percy had told me about Charon before, gods I was dense at times.

That meant that Alex had saved my life, and now he might be punished. _Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into?_ I thought. _Will Hades send Thanatos to come get my soul? Will he leave me alive? What will happen to Alex?_

"She grabbed you?" Hades said, an eyebrow raised in interest. "Well, this certainly changes things."

"How so?" Alex asked, looking at his father.

"If she still had a physical form then she wasn't quite dead." Hades explained to Alex.

"But father," Alex began, obviously confused "in my presence spirits –"

"She wasn't quite dead." Hades repeated, looking at Alex with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Therefore Charon and Thanatos have no claim on her yet, and you cannot be punished."

Alex's eyes widened in realization and he gave Hades a smile. "I understand father." He said, giving him a bow. "Thank you."

"For what?" Hades asked, giving Alex a knowing smile before growing serious. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again, or there will be consequences. You're dismissed."

"Yes Father." Alex said, bowing once more before stepping back into the shadows and vanishing.

Hades sighed and leaned back in his throne, suddenly looking a millennia older. "Oh Alex . . ." He muttered, shaking his head before snapping his fingers. A monster I had heard of flew over to Hades. A fury.

"My lord?"

"Any more demigods join our ranks today?" Hades asked her and I frowned a little. That was an odd request, why would Hades care about demigods dying?

"No my Lord." The fury responded.

Hades nodded. "Watch the Underworld, I must head to Olympus to consort with the Olympians."

"Understood." The fury responded, bowing respectively before flashing out, effectively ending that portion of my dream.

I was instantly transported to a dark alley, and the fear and tension was so thick I felt like I could cut through it with a knife. I heard pained gasping, looking over to see a boy drenched in sweat and blood, a faintly glowing bronze sword in one hand, his other hand clamped over a wound on his leg that was gushing blood. He was looking around, his green eyes bright with terror, his blonde hair shaggy and unkempt.

 _A demigod, he's on the run, but from what?_

I hoped that this dream wasn't a watch as it was happening night or else I feared that Hades might just get one demigod in the Underworld tonight.

He leaned against a brick wall, tears streaming down his dirty face, his knuckles white from gripping his sword so hard. He was scared, in pain and desperate, never a good combination.

A trash can was knocked down and the boy jumped in fright, his sword up instantly. But the sudden movement caused his bad leg to give out from under him. He cried out in pain for a split second before slapping a bloody hand over his mouth to silence it. But the damage had been done, whatever monster that was after him must have certainly heard that.

He put a hand on the wall, struggling to his feet, his jaw clenched in pain and determination. He started hobbling out of the alley, his sword at the ready.

But I could see the hopelessness in his eyes, he knew he was toast. But he was also ready to go down fighting, a demigod stubbornness perhaps but I knew I was going to be watching a duel to the death.

What I was expecting however was another sword to come flashing out of the darkness, meeting the boys sword in midair, creating sparks and almost making the demigod drop his blade.

 _Is another demigod attacking him?_ I thought in shock, my first thought turning to the Romans. But no, they had a peace treaty with camp half-blood, right? And how did I know I wasn't watching a Roman fight to the death?

 _Because there are three clay beads around his neck._ I thought, looking at the camp necklace.

The fight didn't last very long. The demigod raised his blade to deflect the blows coming at him, trying to hold his ground. But he was forced to give ground, too slow because of his leg and the blade sliced open his arm. He cried out in pain, almost dropping the blade. The hesitation was enough and the other swordsman quickly disarmed him.

I could see the boy bracing himself for death, his eyes closing and his lips moving in a silent prayer. For what God or Goddess I didn't know. But I didn't want to watch him die, I just wanted the dream to end.

The sword flashed in the air, coming down quickly, but instead of slicing through the boy with his blade the blade, it hit him in the head with the hilt of the blade, instantly knocking the demigod out.

A large, scarred hand came down and picked the blade up, attaching it to a loop on the belt the attacker was wearing. Through the glow of the blade I could see that the attacker was wearing all black, a ski mask pulled on over their face with sunglasses on (seriously, who wears sunglasses when it's pitch black out?) and the only skin I could see were their hands.

Once the swords were secured on their belt they knelt and picked up the demigod, slinging them over their shoulder effortlessly. They reached into their pocket, taking out a gold coin and dropping it on the ground like a calling card before walking away into the night.

I lost sight of them quickly, with the feeling that I wouldn't be able to find them. Instead, I turned towards the scene of the crime, heading over to where they had dropped the coin.

The glint of gold in the dark was hard to miss and I knelt down beside it, knowing I couldn't touch it so getting close to examine it.

I looked over at it, realizing there was a design on the coin but before I could investigate everything went dark.

. . .

I opened my eyes, confused for a moment before realizing where I was. _I'm at camp, and I'm no longer a monster._

Things like that can quickly perk up one's mood and almost push away weird dreams about demigods being kidnapped.

Almost.

I walked out of the spare room, still in Alex's clothes since I had none of my own to change into. I walked onto the deck and saw Chiron having a conversation in a low voice to a young girl.

". . . hunches are usually right." The girl said, her arms crossed over her chest stubbornly. She had curly brown hair and intense blue-grey eyes. She looked to be around my age, maybe a little older.

"I know that my dear." Chiron said, sounding tired. "But we simply have no proof, while I admit the numbers are unusually high this year we cannot assume that –"

"Chiron, I'm –" She began, cutting off when she saw me.

 _Oops._ I thought, figuring that standing out in the open awkwardly wasn't the best strategy for eavesdropping. _This is awkward._

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked, internally face-palming. _Of course_ I was interrupting something. They were having a serious conversation about statistics and hunches with enough tension for me to think that there would be a terrifying life threatening quest to save the world soon.

 _If there is and I'm on it . . ._ I thought, keeping the annoyance from showing. Hopefully I was just 'jumping the gun' as mortals said these days, or was that what they said before I died?

". . . Dianna." Chiron was saying, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I said, focusing on him and the girl managed to smile a little, although she was still tensed up.

"I'm Alison Beaudon, the Oracle." She said, sticking her hand out for me to shake.

"Dianna Ross." I said, giving her hand a quick shake. "Daughter of Hecate."

She gave me a knowing smile, like she knew everything there was to know about me and more. I wasn't sure if it was because she was the oracle or if she was just messing with me.

"Pleasure to meet you at last," Alison said, letting go of my hand. "Would you like a tour of camp?"

"Sure," I said, giving Alison a grin. "Third times the charm right?"

She laughed, her eyes lighting up. "Three has always been a magical number in mythology."

I smiled. "It is, isn't it?" I asked, figuring there were some things I would not like to do for a third time. Once was more than enough.

"Follow me." Alison said, turning and heading away from the Big House, I gave Chiron a wave and followed her, ready for my third – and hopefully final – tour of Camp Half-Blood.

. . .

"And this is the cabin you'll be staying in, the Hecate cabin."

I looked at the stone building with all of the stones covered in engravings. I reached out to touch one and jumped when I heard a voice.

"I wouldn't touch that, who knows what you'll be turned into."

I whipped around and saw a boy that looked like he was seventeen giving me a smile. He had shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes, wearing a camp shirt and jeans covered in black writing, I recognized some as Ancient Greek but the other languages were lost on me. "Names Tony Banks, head counselor of cabin twenty."

"Dianna Ross, daughter of Hecate." I introduced myself, shaking his hand and wondering what cabin twenty was.

 _There were only twelve before but Jason was building more. Gods, how many cabins for the gods are there? And how many half-bloods would that be? And what god's or goddess's cabin is cabin twenty?_

"I knew that." He said, giving me a smile. "But I'm pretty sure everyone does. Welcome to camp sis."

 _Sis._

"You're my brother?" I asked warily, thinking of the last time I met one of my male siblings. Fighting against them in a war doesn't make you to fond of them.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I get it must be weird and all, I know that when I first arrived I was pretty shocked. I've never had any siblings before."

"How many . . . siblings do I have?" I asked, testing out the word on my tongue. It felt strange.

"About . . . eight?" Tony mussed, counting on his fingers. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's eight."

 _Not including those at the other magical places._ I thought, surprised. "Mom's been busy."

Tony laughed, obviously not understanding. "You should see the other cabins, like the Aphrodite cabin. It's packed in there."

"And it's not packed in there?" I asked, eyeing the small cabin and trying to imagine how eight people would fix comfortably with a bathroom and all of those essentials.

"It's bigger than it looks." Tony promised. "Why don't you come in? I can take your tour over from here."

"Actually we're just finishing the tour." Alison said, already walking away and calling out over her shoulder. "See you later Dianna!"

"Bye." I said, giving her a wave. I hope that by see you later she meant to just hang out, not give me a prophecy kind of later.

"Come on in." Tony said, opening the door and letting me walk in. "We'll get you settled and then we can make you some clothes of your own."

"Make me clothes?" I asked, frowning a little as I walked in before stopping short. "Whoa."

The cabin was definitely bigger then it looked from the outside. It was rimmed with bookcases that were overflowing with books in various languages. Desks were set up all around, chests tucked into corners and a white board covering one whole wall, scribbled Greek on it.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Tony said proudly, observing the room.

"Where do you sleep?" I blurted, not noticing any beds. "And where's the bathroom?"

He laughed, leading me over to a gap in the book shelves, a ladder leading up to a second floor. "Everything's up there. Come on, let's get you a bed."

He climbed up the ladder and I followed him, feeling numb from surprise. It was like a workshop down there, and who knew that any cabins had more than one floor? Why didn't the Hermes cabin get one?

 _They probably don't need it anymore._ I thought. _The Gods are claiming all of their kids now._

"Hey guys, new camper." Tony said, after pushing open a hatch and climbing up. I followed him, looking around the room and meeting the awed looks of seven other campers.

 _No, not just campers, these are your brothers and sisters._

It was unnerving to think I'd be living with them from now on. Especially since they were looking at me like that.

"Dianna, I'd like you to meet Crystal, Desmond, Taylor, Reese, Hannah, Kate and Jezzi." Tony said, introducing me to them and I almost immediately forgot who was who.

"Hi." I said lamely.

"Oh wow!" One of the boys exclaimed. He was about seven years old with curly red hair, bright green eyes and freckles covering his face and arms. I was pretty sure that he was Reese. "You're the most famous child of Hecate ever!"

"Wait – what?" I said, completely baffled.

He nodded, enthusiastic. "Oh yeah, all of that cool stuff you did like slaying Python! I want to be just like you!"

I felt queasy. _Cool stuff? You mean dying, watching my friends die and living in sheer terror for years?_

 _You want to be just like me?_

"I think that being yourself is a great thing to be." I said, evasive.

"You're my hero!" He gushed, his eyes wide and full of innocence. I forced a smile for his sake, my heart plummeting.

 _After everything I've done? Why should I be anyone's hero?_

"Alright guys." Tony said, quickly earning my gratitude. "Let's let Dianna settle in, than we have lunch up at the pavilion."

"Um . . . can I meet you guys there?" I asked. "I just . . . need a minute."

One of the girl's nodded, her blue eyes full of understanding. "Yeah, no problem," she said, grabbing Reese's hand. "Let's go see if they have grilled cheese."

Reese nodded and gave me a smile, following everyone downstairs until it was just me and Tony. "Pick any empty bunk on the far side." He told me. "You can come down when you're ready."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem." Tony said, starting down the ladder. "See you down there."

I nodded again, walking over to the bunk spaces, my heart in my throat as I sat down on a bottom bunk, looking around.

I grabbed the pillow, hugging it to my chest. It was my first time in this cabin, the last time I'd been at camp I'd stayed in the Big House, avoiding this place like the plague. Now I was going to be living here.

I closed my eyes, remembering the last time I spoke to my mom. I sighed softly, burying my face in the pillow, an overwhelming sense of loneliness washing over me. This place that was supposed to feel like home felt restricting, the walls closing in on me. I felt trapped, alone, terrified.

I was mortal again, right? So that meant I did belong at camp, I really was a half-blood again. So why did it feel different?

 _I used to love camp, it used to be my home. What changed?_

But I knew the answer. It was everything, everything had changed. Camp changed, the time changed and even I changed although I still looked the same as the day I left, albeit a few new scars. Okay, a lot of scars.

I thought about Hailey, her being a hunter now. I'd hardly get to see her anymore, she was immortal. Or as close to it as she could get.

I couldn't help but feel a spark of anger at that. She chose to be immortal, after everything I'd told her. She knew what she was getting into, sure it wasn't exactly the same as my immortality but still . . . she had to watch as her family grew old without her, watching people she loved dying and fighting monsters for the rest of her life.

 _It's like I don't know her anymore._ I thought dejectedly, knowing that the Hailey I knew never would have agreed to fight monsters forever. _Who says I ever really knew her though? I mean sure I went on a quest with her but really, I didn't know her for too long outside of that and I never really got to get to know her._

But still . . . I felt connected to her, we shared some bond. I fought with her, cried with her, almost died with her. Things like that brought people close.

 _But it's been sixty years._ I thought. _Time goes differently in Tartarus, a lot can happen to a person in that much time. A lot changes._

I didn't realize I was crying until a tear splashed against my bare foot. I sniffled, wiping the tears off of my cheeks and looking around the cabin.

 _I can't stay here._ I thought, feeling my chest tighten. _I'm not going to stay here, I need to see what's changed. I need to do something, I don't want to stay in camp for the rest of my life._

 _I want to explore._

I stood up, putting the pillow back and scrubbing my face in the bathroom before heading down to the pavilion to get my first meal as a mortal again.

 **So this chapter was longer then I originally planned but I figured that I should make it long. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and see you soon! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Clues

**I know I said I'd try to update on the weekends but Monday is close enough. Anyway, this chapter doesn't have much action but now we're finally getting at the actual plot of the story. And Stormrunner74 that was a good guess when you said it sounded like Percy's and Annabeth's kid but don't forget that Percy is around eighty years old and the kid from her dream was a teenager. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

I knew something was up the moment I walked to the pavilion. For starters no one noticed me, and based on my cabin mates reactions from earlier I thought they would have been pestering me for my life's story, or at least awed stares like last time.

Instead they were all huddled at their tables, talking in low murmurs. I tried to hear what they were saying but I could only catch bits and pieces that made no sense to me.

 _Mortal senses are so dull._

I sat down at my table, noticing a woman with curly black hair and frantic green eyes talking to Chiron, gesturing wildly with her arms.

"What's going on?" I asked softly and my siblings looked up from their own hushed conversation. "Who is that woman?"

"That's Sara McDonald, she used to be Sara Jackson but she got married." Tony explained to me in a whisper. "As in Percy Jackson's daughter."

"Why's she so upset?" I asked, looking over at her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, or a panic attack at least.

"Her son Darren was supposed to arrive at camp a week ago." One of my sisters piped up, Jezzi I believed. "He never arrived and she's just finding out."

I looked at the woman's green eyes and a sinking feeling started in the pit of my stomach. I had a feeling I knew what happened to her son.

"It's odd though." Jezzi stated, taking a bite of pizza. "I mean, Darren's mom is a legacy and so is he, all he can really do is breath underwater and withstand lots of water pressure. He can't control the water or anything and he still gets wet. His aurora isn't strong, and he's a good fighter. Logically strong monsters he wouldn't be able to beat shouldn't be attracted to him." She took another bite, thinking. "So where could he be?"

I had a feeling that it wasn't a rhetorical question, she actually expected an answer, or at least for us to get what she was hinting at. Of course I was clueless but Tony put down his slice of pizza, looking at her and shaking his head.

"Come on Jezzi, we both know that's absurd. Like you said, he's a legacy not a half-blood."

She shrugged. "He goes to camp here, just like the others."

"Others?" I echoed and they looked at me, surprised.

"Yeah, the others that have gone missing." One of my brothers explained, I think it was Desmond, but I wasn't sure.

"Others have gone missing?" I repeated, shocked and baffled. _Is that why Hades was wondering if more demigod's had died?_

"You dummy." My blue-eyed sister said, cuffing him upside the head. "She just got here, she doesn't know."

"Don't know what?" I asked, exasperated. "Can someone please explain this to me?"

Tony looked over at Reese before looking at me. "Later." He promised and I refrained from groaning.

"Okay." I agreed, looking down at the plate of pizza in front of me. Before I could touch it however Chiron stood up, causing everyone to go silent.

"As everyone has heard Darren McDonald is missing." Chiron announced and I could sense the anxiety in the air.

"Are we going to look for him?" A girl demanded, standing up from the table where the hunters were eating. She had short, choppy black hair and intense blue eyes, a circlet around her head marking her as the lieutenant.

 _Must be a child of Zeus or Jupiter, they look like Jason's eyes._ I thought, wondering why one of the hunters cared about a male.

"We're going to send out search parties, yes." Chiron said, but he looked solemn, I knew he thought we wouldn't be able to find him.

"I'll go looking for him." Alex said, stepping out of the shadows and some campers jumped in shock, unease rippling through the air. They looked at him in confusion, probably wondering why he wanted to go searching for Darren.

 _I see people still aren't to accepting of Hades children._ I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Just because Hades was the Lord of the Dead doesn't mean they have to be afraid of his children. Honestly, death wasn't scary.

"You can't go alone." Chiron argued. "It's too dangerous."

"I'll go with him." I said, the words pouring from my mouth as I stood up. Everyone looked at me in surprise and I felt uncomfortable with all their stares.

Sure, I didn't know the guy myself so I had no reason to volunteer to look for him. But I just knew that he was the boy from my dream, and besides, he was Percy's and Annabeth's descendant. I owed them one for pulling me out of the dumpster and helping nurse me back to health, finding their grandson was the least I could do.

And it would give me a chance to talk to Alex alone, figure out just what had happened to me last night. Besides, Chiron wouldn't let him go alone and I had a sinking feeling that no one else was going to volunteer. I couldn't leave him hanging after he helped me last night.

"Are you sure Dianna?" Chiron asked. "You just got here."

I nodded, determined. "He's Percy's and Annabeth's grandson right? I owe them one, it's the least I can do for them."

The hunter girl studied me before nodding. "If you find anything IM Hailey, the Hunters will look for him as well." She nodded at Sara. "We'll find out what happened to your son. Let's move!"

The Hunters all got up, following their lieutenant out. Hailey gave me a wave goodbye and I waved back, looking over at Alex.

"Ready to go?" He asked and I looked ruefully down at my pizza.

"Yeah." I said, picking it up and tossing it into the nearest sacrificial fire, praying to whatever God or Goddess listening that we'd find Darren, or at least a clue.

Alex pulled me towards the shadows and in a second everything went dark and we were gone.

. . .

My stomach growled loudly, again.

Alex groaned in exasperation. "Seriously? That's the third time in five minutes."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "It's not my fault." I protested. "You dragged me out before I could even take a bite of food."

"I asked if you were ready."

"That's not the point." I argued, my bare feet slapping on the concrete as we walked.

"Then what is the point?" Alex asked.

"The point is I'm hungry and I've hardly eaten anything in sixty years." I said, getting a couple odd looks from people passing by. "That works up an appetite. Come on, let's take a little break. We've been searching for hours with no results."

"Fine." Alex said curtly, leading me down a street. "I know a good place."

I smiled. "Thanks, oh and I have no money, so you'll have to pay. Sorry."

Alex groaned. "You're so needy."

"I'll pay you back when I get some money." I promised him, following him to a coffee shop. I sat at an empty table, waiting while Alex got some food, telling him to get me whatever looked good, I'm not picky.

I found myself staring out the window, watching people go by and marveling at how much everything had changed physically but how much people still remained the same.

"Fascinating isn't it?" A woman remarked, sounding like she was sitting in front of me. I stiffened at the sound of her voice, clenching my hands into fists as I bit back a remark, wondering why she bothered talking to me. "Humans are constantly changing the world around them with their technological devices, yet their behavior stays similar. Even after all of these millennium."

"Hecate." I said as a way of greeting, not turning to look at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to give you a warning."

I snorted. "You couldn't have warned me about anything else that happened?" I asked, a little bitter. "What makes this so special?"

"Zeus has granted me permission to speak with you on this matter. Not freely of course but I'm allowed to . . . point you in the right direction." Hecate explained and my interest peaked.

 _Zeus let her come? This must be big then._

 _And if she's coming to me then I'm involved somehow._ I fought a groan. _Of course, my life just can't be easy, can it?_

"And to give you this." She finished, putting something on the table and I heard her slide it over to me.

I stayed in my position, watching two men chatting across the street while they waited for something. I didn't reach for the item or make any movement to acknowledge her or what she had given me.

I kept my eyes trained out the window, not even looking at her reflection. I couldn't bear to look at her, not after she'd abandoned me and wiped my friends memories of me. Not after she abandoned me, Hailey and Zach when we were fighting Python. I couldn't help but think that if she had stuck around things could've ended differently. Maybe Zach would have been alive, maybe I wouldn't have been sent to that gods awful place.

Now she showed up years later like we'd had a pleasant conversation the other day.

 _Gods, the nerve of her._

But I felt myself itching with curiosity, wanting to just take one peek at her, at the woman who gave birth to me, if Goddesses/Titans/Whatever she was even did that. I couldn't help but wonder what she thought about me and I'll admit that's part of the reason I couldn't face her. What would I see in her eyes? Love? Pride? Disappointment? Anger? Or nothing? Would she just look at me with a blank indifference even thought I was her daughter? Even though I had rescued her from Python? I didn't know what would be the worst, I didn't know what I wanted to see in her eyes, or even if I wanted her to acknowledge me as her daughter. I wasn't quite sure what to think of her and I had a feeling that she felt the same way about me.

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked, watching a car pull up and one of the men hop in.

"You were given a choice." Hecate said and I frowned softly. "You chose this path Dianna. It's not going to be easy."

"Since when is it ever easy?" I asked with a small snort. "And what choice are you talking about?"

"You know." She insisted. "And I don't have much time –"

"There's a shocker." I muttered under my breath, surprised that I'd gotten this long of a conversation out of her.

She ignored me. "52nd street, that's where you'll find a clue. If you can figure out what the clue is exactly."

"I don't suppose you'll tell me?"

"You know how this works." Hecate said and I figured she was going to leave soon, but I sensed some hesitation. "You're not entirely cured." She informed me and my heart sank in dread as I fought a wave of panic.

 _What? No! No, I'm mortal now! Right? Oh please, the Fates can't be this cruel. After everything, I can't do it. I can't go back there, I'll go insane._

"You're not immortal." Hecate informed me and I found myself letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, my chest aching. "You can't turn into a wolf either, but I'll let you discover your limitations. I've said too much already, I must go."

Her chair scraped as she stood and I wondered why she didn't just flash out. "I hope . . . I hope I never receive a coin for you."

I frowned, hearing her heels slap against the floor as she walked quickly out of the shop. I finally turned my head, staring down at the table and seeing a coin.

It was pure gold, but splattered with crimson. I picked it up, examining it up close. Yup, it was blood.

I ran my fingers along the smooth edges, staring at the golden olive tree design on one side, flipping it over and staring at the golden trident.

 _The symbols of Athena and Poseidon._ I thought, turning the coin over in my fingers. _That's Darren's great Grandparents._

" _I hope I never receive a coin for you."_

"Was the coin made for Athena and Poseidon?" I mused aloud, examining it. A jolt of shock went through me as I realized that this was the coin from my dreams.

"What's that?" Alex asked, coming back with a tray of goodies and hot chocolate. My stomach growled in anticipation, it smelled so good my mouth watered.

I wordlessly handed him the coin, grabbing a muffin and practically inhaling it. He studied the coin intently while I devoured the food and hot chocolate he had bought for us.

"Is this imperial gold?" He asked after a while and I froze, my mouth full of a pastry I didn't know the name of but gods it tasted like Elysium.

I swallowed and shrugged. "No clue, Hecate just gave it to me."

"Your mother?" Alex asked in surprise and I scowled at the word. Alex smirked at my scowl, twisting the coin around in his fingers. "What? You don't like that word?"

I gave him a little glare, his cocky smirk only growing slightly.

"52nd street." I muttered, picking up the last pastry, slightly disappointed that they were gone already. "That's where she said we'd find a clue, if we knew where to look."

Alex frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "What does she expect us to find there?" He asked, seemingly baffled. "All that's there is some houses and my school."

"Any alleys?" I asked, thinking about my dream and Alex nodded thoughtfully.

I brushed the crumbs off of my clothes, putting the pastry in my mouth and standing, pushing the chair in. Alex got the hint and stood as well, leading me out of the shop and to the shadows.

He grabbed my hand and I swallowed the last of my pastry. "Don't let go or you'll be gone forever." He warned me and I looked over at him and scowled a little.

"You could have told me that earlier."

He laughed and we dissolved into the shadows.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling like my face was about to peel off. Alex tightened his grip on my hand and I realized with shock I had been slipping. Then we were stumbling out of the shadows, Alex looking even paler then before.

"Whoa, you okay?" I asked him, steadying him.

"Yeah." He said, straightening himself out. "Shadow traveling takes a lot out of me. It's even harder bringing someone else along with me."

"Okay, then no more shadow traveling." I instructed and he gave me a death glare, I crossed my arms and glared at him stubbornly.

Sure it was pretty unnerving to have a child of Hades give you a death glare, they were pros at them, but I'd stared into the pits of hell so really it didn't scare me as much as it used to.

"Fine." He snapped after a long stare down and I smiled triumphantly.

"Good, now that we have that covered let's go search for this clue."

. . .

"There's nothing, absolutely nothing."

I looked up at the setting sun, getting frustrated. "She said there was a clue here, if we knew how to find it."

"There's nothing here Dianna." Alex said, sounding irritated. "We've combed the street, surrounding streets and alley ways _at least_ three times by now. There's nothing, not a fleck of blood or monster dust. Not even the mortals know anything."

"She wouldn't lie to me." I snapped at Alex, my nerves taunt. The faster we found this clue and got back to camp the better, I wasn't sure how much more of this my bare feet could take.

"Are you sure about that?" Alex asked me, leaning against the wall of an alley, partly hidden in the shadows. "I mean, what's she ever done for you? You won't even accept the fact that she's your mom."

"Shut up." I hissed at him. "You don't understand –"

"Then enlighten me." Alex said, leaning against the brick wall and crossing his arms. "Make me understand." I bit my lip, silently seething.

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

Alex nodded. "There you go, you know you're not what I've heard. They described you as loyal, caring, stubborn –"

"Who did?" I asked, baffled.

"Your friends." Alex said, pulling out and examining his Stygian iron knife. "I'm a child of Hades, I can talk to the dead you know. I expected different, know you're just a short tempered bi –"

"You'd be short tempered to if you were me." I snapped at him, defensive. "You don't have the right to judge me without knowing all the facts. I figured you of all people would understand that."

"Because I'm a child of Hades?" He asked softly, the shadows hiding his facial expression from me and his voice emotionless.

"When I was alive people feared the children of Hades because their dad was the Lord of the Dead. Honestly, it was so dumb. They were shunned for the stereotype on their dad, not for who they were as a person. I saw how everyone reacted at the pavilion and the amphitheater when you came out of the shadows, I know it's still happening to you, even if it's not as bad as before."

After a bit of silence Alex spoke up, his voice flat. "And how do you feel about the children of Hades, the children of death?"

"Thanatos is actually the God of the Dead, Hades is the God of the Underworld." I pointed out. "But death doesn't scare me anymore." I shrugged. "Call me crazy but it doesn't, my time is long overdue and after everything I've been through the Fields of Asphodel sound like Elysium to me."

Alex stayed silent and I opened my mouth to ask him about my dream but he spoke before I could even get a word out, changing the subject.

"Do you think it was the Romans?" The golden coin flashed in the dim light as he examined it.

"What?" I asked, looking over at him in surprise.

"Do you think the Romans are doing it?" He asked me, questioning me. "After all it's only Greek Demigods and Legacy's going missing, not a single Roman has. And now this coin, it's imperial gold, just like the weapons the Romans use. Suspicious isn't it?"

He sounded pretty sure of himself, and I felt like he was only asking out of courtesy.

"People have already been suspecting the Roman's, now this coin is all the proof we need." Alex explained, clenching his fist around the coin. "The Romans have been taking our people, who knows what they've been doing to them. But they're still alive, none of them have found their way to Hades. We have to strike now, get them back before the Roman's kill them or take any more of us."

I looked at him in shock. "You're talking about a civil war." I whispered.

He looked at me, his dark eyes flashing. "They can't get away with this Dianna." He growled. "Those bastards think they can just take the people we care about –"

"Who did you lose?" I asked softly, cutting him off and he froze, staring at me.

"How do you know I lost someone?" He asked evasively, completely ignoring my question.

"The way you talk, as if you have a personal grudge." I pointed out. "And you were the very first person to volunteer to search for Darren. But you didn't really come out here to find Darren, did you?"

I felt the waves of despair coming off of Alex, the shadows all drawing towards him and the ground staring to turn black beneath his feet.

"Who did you lose?" I asked gently.

"I didn't lose anyone!" He snapped. "She's alive! I'll find her!"

"Who?" I gently prompted.

His dark eyes watered with unshed tears and he slumped against the wall in defeat, his head hanging low. "My – my little sister." He whispered.

"How long has it been?" I asked him gently.

"Two years." He said softly. "But she's not dead, her spirits not in The Underworld. I would know it, Hades would know it, Thanatos would know it. But it's like she completely vanished, not even the Furies can find her."

"But we will." I said determinedly. "Hecate gave us this clue and we have to figure it out."

"All she gave us was this useless coin and this stupid street address!" He shouted in anger. "How is this supposed to help us find Mackenzie?!" He threw the coin in a fit of rage, burying his face in his hands and slumping against the wall, sliding down it.

I sat down beside Alex, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "If there's one thing I know about the Gods it's that they can never give a straight answer." I told him and he snorted. "But their messed up and confusing hints are never lies. There is a clue here and we can find it, we can't give up."

Alex nodded, wiping away the stray tears that had managed to escape. "This conversation never happened."

"What conversation?" I asked innocently, figuring he didn't want the campers to know he had been crying. I could relate, there was a few things I didn't want them to know either and I didn't like it when people saw me cry either.

Alex gave me a thankful smile, standing up and brushing off his clothes as he looked around. "I think I lost the coin."

"We'll find it." I told him, standing up and looking in the direction he threw it. The school was covered in shadows, looking quite sinister in twilight. I never did like schools.

We walked towards it, combing the ground for the coin for about twenty minutes until Alex called me over from the steps of the school. "Found it."

I headed over, brushing the dirt off of me and examining the coin, it had landed in front of the doors, the golden olive tree facing the sky.

"Ironic." I muttered. "Athena side up in front of the school."

"She is the Goddess of Wisdom, her children love learning." Alex pointed out, bending down to pick it up.

"I hate school." I said and Alex chuckled.

"Don't let Athena here you say that." He teased. "Or else you might just go missing."

I laughed a little as he picked up the coin but something nagged at me. "You go to this school, right?"

"Yeah, so does Alison." Alex said, putting the coin in his pocket. "Funny story actually, I was the one to bring her to camp and get her the position as the oracle."

I thought for a moment, going over Hecate's words. _She never said Alex would figure out the clue, she said I would. But why? She knew Alex was helping me, so wouldn't she have advice for him? She told me my friends needed me once, so she wouldn't ignore them._

 _Is Alex supposed to be helping me? Or does he already know the clue?_

 _He found the oracle at this school, he_ found _her. Is this the clue? This school? Or is the clue inside the school? Alex already goes to it, so maybe that's why she didn't mention him._

I fought a groan, looking inside the glass doors of the school and into the shadowy hallway.

"I think I figured out the clue." I said. "Or at least found out a way to get closer to the clue." I took a deep breath, turning to look at Alex. "I need to enroll in your school."

 **Tada! Chapter seven. So yeah, updates will be on the weekends or as close to them as I can manage, slower then my last story but that can't really be helped. So see ya with chapter eight this weekend! :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Deals

**Hey, back with chapter eight on the weekend! So yeah, that's really all I have, to HoneyFawn I will make sure to update every week, I just like to have an approximate date set so that you guys don't have to guess and I don't get lazy and slack off :). I'm glad you love the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

"We should just shadow travel back, it would be so much faster." Alex grumbled, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans as we walked down the dark streets.

"No." I said, fighting off the chill from the cold concrete against my bare feet. "I remember what Nico told me about shadow travelling and what it did to him. I don't want you to overexert yourself."

"You knew Nico?" Alex asked, surprised.

I froze in shock at the use of past tense. "Nico's dead?"

"He's been dead for a while." Alex informed me, turning to face me and my heart sank, I'd been hoping he was still alive. "He was a powerful demigod, a son of the Big Three and he refused to live in New Rome." Alex looked down the street, tensing up a little. "Around the time Demigods first started going missing, almost thirty years ago, Hades asked Nico to investigate."

"So Nico went missing?" I asked, surprised.

Alex shook his head. "No, he died. Almost twenty years ago he was found dead, a sword wound on his chest. The thing is . . . when his spirit went to the Underworld it remembered nothing. Hades found traces of the River Lethe on his soul, whoever is behind these disappearance's has access to The Underworld and they're very good at covering their tracks."

"A sword wound?" I whispered, shocked. "But . . . he was an excellent swordsman. And he had powers! Who could do something like that?"

"It might not be a who." Alex said, his voice grim. "It could be a what."

"What happened to Nico's soul?" I asked Alex, wondering if he was basking in the fields of Elysium like he deserved.

"He was reborn." Alex said and I looked at him in shock, my jaw dropping.

"What?!"

"The children of The Underworld have a very special relationship with the rivers in The Underworld because of our father." Alex explained. "Nico had been doused in it as a child yet when he saw things from his past his memory started to come back, because of that connection. Hades figured that it would happen again with Nico, however since Nico was dead he couldn't go up into the mortal world to try and regain his memory. Since he was granted Elysium he made a deal with Hades to go for rebirth to try and get his memory back and try to remember what happened to him."

"That . . . is actually really smart." I said, thinking it through. "And selfless. Poor Nico though, he deserved to stay in Elysium and he didn't deserve to die so young and so tragically."

"Young? He was a hundred and some." Alex pointed out and I waved dismissively.

"Okay, maybe not _young_." I conceded, thinking that if he was still alive we'd be roughly the same age, although I was a few years older. I didn't really want to call myself old though. "Let's go with young adult?"

Alex studied me incredulously before sighing. "I forgot how old you are." He grumbled and I laughed a little.

"I could be your . . ." I began, trailing off as I thought about it. Wow, I was pretty old. "You know what? Never mind."

Alex laughed.

"So . . . do you know who Nico was reborn as?" I asked and Alex looked grim.

"No, but he's not anyone at camp." He told me. "I would know because I can tell those things, ancient souls call out to me and I can sense traces of the river Lethe on them, no matter how faint. Nico's soul . . . since he was my brother I should be able to find it."

"Did you ever meet Nico?" I asked Alex and he shook his head.

"He died right before I was born." He told me. "And went for rebirth when I was almost two, I never met him or his soul."

"So if we can find Nico's soul then we may be able to follow that lead to the killer?" I asked.

"Not killer." Alex said curtly and I mentally cursed, remembering his sister was one of the people missing. "None of them have showed up in The Underworld, Hades, they aren't even praying to their parents for help! It's like they've vanished!"

I put my hand on Alex's arm, making him look at me. "If they aren't dead then we'll find them and we'll get them back." I promised him, hoping I could keep it.

"Almost thirty years." Alex said, shaking his head. "And nothing, no trace of them. How is that possible?"

"We're children of immortal Greek Gods." I reminded him. "I could give you my life story but it's rather long, the point is none of this should be possible either but it is."

Alex nodded, walking again and I followed him back to Camp Half-Blood.

. . .

We headed straight for the Big House although I would have rather headed straight for the showers and then my new bed. Still, we had to report what we found and I had to get Chiron to enroll me in Alex's school.

Sure I'd be a month or so behind everyone else but I could use the mist to trick them into thinking I was a transfer student or something. This was important, I was almost convinced that the school held the clue I needed, I just had to find it.

It wasn't a coincidence that both Alex and the oracle went to that school. I was working with Alex to find whoever was taking the Half-Bloods.

"We're back." I announced, pushing open the door and heading inside. Alex followed me and I heard Chiron's wheelchair as he came out to greet us, looking relieved.

"I'm glad you've made it back in one piece." He said, examining us. "I was worried that monsters might have gotten you." His expression however begged to differ, he was worried we'd been taken as well.

"We need to talk." I said, looking at him.

He nodded, wheeling his way into the living room and we followed, sitting on the couch and telling him basically everything. He seemed troubled that Hecate had come to inform me herself although when Alex brought up the Roman idea he shot it down immediately.

"No, the Romans are our allies and they have been for almost sixty years." Chiron said with a shake of his head. "They would not kidnap other demigods, especially their own allies."

"It's not their style." I pointed out, leaning back in my chair. "I mean when they took me and Jessica they only held us long enough to have a public execution. No way they would have held someone for that long."

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, not commenting while Chiron looked saddened and grave, as if reflecting back on it.

Truthfully I hardly remembered any of it, I had been so sick that it all just seemed like one giant pain filled blur, but I faintly remembered Jessica screaming for Chiron. And I remembered her death, it was seared into my mind forever.

"Then who could it be?" Alex asked, seemingly frustrated.

"If it wasn't for these coins we would just assume they left on their own." Chiron mused.

"No, Mackenzie would never leave like that." Alex said with a sharp shake of the head. "Hades would have found her, _I_ would have found her."

I reached out and took the coin, examining it. "There's blood on it. I think it's safe to assume the blood is Darren's."

Chiron seemed to age before my very own eyes as he reached out and grasped the coin. His eyes flickered to a picture on the wall and I looked over at it, my heart breaking.

Percy and Annabeth were smiling into the camera, but they looked older, maybe their fifties. It was around Christmas time and they were wearing Santa hats, Annabeth and Percy were sitting beside each other, Percy with his arm slung over her shoulders. Sara stood behind them, balancing a younger Darren then I'd seen in my dreams on her hip and a man with black hair and grey eyes was cradling a baby in his arms, a Christmas tree and hearth in the background.

 _Their family._ I thought, my throat closing up with emotions as I looked at it. They all looked so happy and care-free and content. _They got to do it, they got to have a family._

 _But now Darren's gone._

I looked at the picture, knowing Percy must be worried sick about his grandson and I felt my resolve building. I'd find Darren, just so I could see the happiness on Percy's and Sara's face as they were all reunited.

Darren would not suffer a hero's fate.

"Percy's in New Rome you know." Chiron said. "As well as Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo and Calypso."

I looked over at Chiron, realising he saw me staring at the picture. "I can arrange for a visit if you'd like."

I opened my mouth but no words came out, my throat closing up. _Gods, they'd be in their sixties, they're old now. I still look like I haven't aged a day._

"I'd love to." I said softly and Chiron smiled. "But . . . I have something to do first."

"And what's that?" He asked, puzzled.

"I have to get caught up with everything I missed while dead and enroll in Alex's and Alison's school, as soon as I can."

Chiron frowned softly. "Why would you want to do that?"

I told Chiron about how I figured out the clue, or rather how I planned to find the clue.

"Dianna, you just came back. It will take a while to catch you back up and make a suitable cover story and to get you enrolled in any school." Chiron informed me and my heart sank for a second before I clenched my jaw stubbornly.

I'd faced down countless monsters, the earth goddess, Kronos, Python, the pits of hell and even death. Compared to that enrolling in high school couldn't be too hard, right?

"I'll use the mist to make an alibi." I said determinedly. "It's been a while but . . .I should be able to."

"Still, you know nothing about this century Dianna." Chiron pointed out. "You'll be lost in school."

"Get the Athena cabin to start teaching her while you work out a suitable alibi." Alex suggested and it made sense to me.

Chiron still looked doubtful. "That many half-bloods in one school is risky." He warned us. "You'll attract monsters, with Alex being a child of Hades and you Dianna –"

"With my reputation?" I asked, giving him a tiny smile. "I'm a child of a minor Goddess, my scents not that strong."

"You're stronger then you think." Chiron informed me. "If you really think you're ready for the transition so soon then I suppose I can try and enroll you."

"It's not a matter of me being ready." I said softly. "It's a matter of doing what needs to be done. We have to find the clue, we have to stop the half-bloods from going missing."

Chiron nodded, looking grave.

"We should probably get some sleep." I said, looking out the window at the lengthening shadows. I was feeling the events of the day starting to catch up to me and I couldn't wait to curl up and go to sleep.

"Alright, I'll speak with the Athena cabin in the morning." Chiron said. "If they agree your lessons will start immediately. I'll talk with your siblings about creating an alibi."

I nodded, standing and giving him a hug. "Thank you Chiron."

He looked sad. "I was hoping to keep you out of this." He admitted to me. "I wanted you to have a peaceful time back, the gods know you deserve it."

"But the Fates have different plans for me." I said with a sad smile. "It's okay, I mean . . . I know what usually happens with these types of things. Better me then someone who has everything to lose right?"

"I think you have more to lose then you realise." Chiron said gravelly, I waited for him to elaborate but he didn't, just turned and wheeled himself out of the room. I looked over at Alex, frowning a little.

"That was odd." I said. "Who knew Chiron was so optimistic?"

"I think you mean pessimistic?" Alex corrected with a raised eyebrow.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "Sarcasm isn't a thing anymore, is it?"

Alex snorted, shaking his head and walking out of the Big House. I took one last look at their family photo, smiling sadly before turning and leaving, wondering if there was any chance I could find Darren and the others alive.

I headed back to my cabin, sneaking in and noticing with relief that everyone was sleeping. I crept over to my bunk, sliding into it and falling asleep, not even caring about the fact that it had no sheets or other clothes to change into.

I couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.

 **So, not to exciting but with this story there's a slow beginning and it's going to have a different little twist on it then the others. It's going to be a bit more mystery then action, but there will be action in it, so I hope you enjoy. See you next weekend with the next update! :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Back to School Shopping

**Hey, so it's been a little bit since my last update and I'm not going to give you a bunch of excuses because I don't really have any and no one really cares about excuses anyway. So here's the chapter, hope it was worth the little wait :)**

I was woken up by someone shaking my shoulders, I'd like to say I woke up peacefully or grumbled about needing five more minutes but I'd be lying. The truth is pretty embarrassing so I won't go into too much detail, the short version is this: I panicked. And after a lot of screaming, cursing, death threats and magic we all came to the conclusion that we'd invest in some alarm clocks so that I could freak out and attack that in the morning instead.

Thankfully no one got hurt to badly, but I couldn't help but feel guilty over Taylor's new black eye.

It wasn't _really_ my fault, I had been having a nightmare about Tartarus and then when I felt myself being shaken . . . well I had been startled to say the least. Now I figured a few of my siblings are scared of me, and I doubt they'll try and wake me up again any time soon.

I still didn't have any shoes or other clothes so I was stuck in Alex's clothes since none of my sibling's clothes fit me any better. I didn't mind too much honestly, I mean Alex's clothes were comfy and it would have felt strange to wear the clothes of my siblings. It was a little strange wearing Alex's clothes but I'd gotten used to it by now and I knew him better than my cabin mates so I was okay with it.

I followed them to the dining pavilion, looking around and really noticing the differences this time. There were a few dozen picnic tables set up for eating, although some only had one person, or no people, eating at them. One for each of the cabins, and it looked like Chiron had let the campers decorate their picnic tables.

Poseidon's was blue, Ares was splattered in blood red, Hephaestus table was steel grey mixed in with some orange, yellow and red for flames and the Hermes cabin looked like they had made splatter art with whatever paint they got their hands on, most likely stolen.

"You have to do that." Taylor spoke up from behind me at the sacrificial braziers and I frowned.

"Do what?"

"Put your hand print on the Hermes table." Taylor explained with a smile. "It's a new tradition we've started, even the Hunters take place in it, each new camper puts their hand print on the table."

"Why the Hermes table?" I asked curiously.

"Because he's the God of travelers." My sister Jezzi piped up from behind Taylor. "Unclaimed campers stay in the Hermes cabin so we decided to do that. I know this tradition wasn't around when you were before so you have to do it."

"You have to bring, or steal, your own paint for it." Tony told me, sacrificing some of his eggs to the Gods.

I burned some bacon for Athena, praying for the ability to understand this century. I figured I could use all the help I could get.

"I'll do that." I said with a small smile.

"I have some paint you could use." Reese said, burning one of his hard boiled eggs. "It's green."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

He beamed and I saw that he had dimples. He looked so happy and I felt my heart melt in my chest at the sight of him, he looked so carefree and innocent. I hadn't been sure something like that still existed anymore in this world, but looking at him I realised it did.

He hadn't killed any monsters or seen the horrors of this world firsthand yet, he knew monsters existed but he hadn't seen what they could do. I looked at him and felt determined to protect him, to let him live in his blissfully unaware world for as long as he could.

We headed to the table and I sat down to eat, noticing that Alex wasn't at his table, and that he hadn't painted his table yet. I looked down and studied my table, seeing a swirling pattern with a bunch of different shades of grey mixed together, some spots of black and other spots of white. It was hypnotizing and I didn't realise how long I had been staring until Tony spoke.

"Cool isn't it?"

I looked up and nodded at him. "I like how you made it all these different shades, it looks great."

"Thanks." Jezzi said with a smile before adding teasingly. "Now don't spill anything on it or you're repainting it."

I smiled a little. "I've been warned."

We ate in peace and I listened to them joke around with each other and talk about their lives and when they were planning on heading back home or if they were staying all year long. I learned Tony and Jezzi were the only two yearlong campers, the others were down for the weekend or because they had a monster incident at their school and had gotten suspended.

"It wasn't my fault." Taylor said, swallowing some bacon. "I mean the dracaena started it, it's not my fault we ended up destroying the science lab."

"Be grateful they didn't expel you." Tony said.

"I got suspended for a week!" Taylor complained. "And when I go back I have in school suspension for another week."

"Better than having to find a new school." Jezzi pointed out.

Taylor opened his mouth to say something but Alex suddenly appeared at our table. "Chiron would like a word with you Dianna." He said and I nodded, getting up and giving the rest of my food to the gods. I gave my cabin mates a wave before heading after Alex to the big house.

Chiron looked up as we approached and gave me a smile. "Dianna I've spoken to the Athena campers and they're willing to tutor you with school." He said and I let out a breath. "I've talked it over with Alex and we've decided that he's going to take you school shopping, and also get you acquainted with the world now. It may be a bit of a culture shock so come back to camp if you have any problems, alright?"

I nodded, realizing that this was my test. If I could refrain from panicking or fainting at everything that had changed then I'd be fine for school.

 _I live in the world of Greek Gods and monsters._ I thought. _I can deal with the mortal world and all it has to offer, piece of cake._

. . .

Less than an hour later and I was regretting everything.

"Sure you don't want to head back?" Alex asked me. "You look like you're one instant coffee machine away from passing out."

"Instant coffee machine?" I asked incredulously, trying to process everything. Alex chuckled and shook his head.

"It was a joke, but seriously, you look like you're going to faint."

I looked around, confused and overwhelmed. "Everything's so weird. I mean, where are the gas stations for the cars?"

Alex looked confused for a moment. "No one's using those kinds of vehicles anymore." He informed me. "That stopped 40 years ago."

 _Oh my gods, this is so confusing._ I thought, feeling a migraine coming on. _Everything has changed and it's still changing, how can human's keep up with everything?_

"At least tell me Walmart still exists." I said, putting my fingertips to my temples and massaging them. "That place is a Gods send for demigods everywhere."

"They're talking about ending Walmart soon." Alex informed me and I looked up at him in shock. "There's a whole bunch of new stores that have opened up and are pushing Walmart out of business."

"Let's go to Walmart." I said, hoping that it was like it had been sixty years ago. "I think I need some Advil."

"What's Advil?" Alex asked in confusion and I groaned.

"What do you people use for headaches then?" I asked, burying my face in my hands.

"You'll be fine." Alex said, starting to walk away. "Come on, Walmart is this way."

I followed him to Walmart, overwhelmed by the sounds and smells of New York. I looked around as I walked and stopped short when I saw billboards with missing people on them.

"Are they all . . ."

"Demigods?" Alex asked softly, stopping and following my gaze. "For the most part yes, although some are the new recruits for the Hunters of Artemis. The ones that didn't tell their parents they were joining."

I nodded a little, wondering if Hailey's picture had ever been up there. _Did she tell her dad that she was a demigod and joining the Hunters of Artemis?_

"This way." Alex said, walking away quickly and I almost lost him in a group of people, jogging to catch up with his longer strides.

We walked into the Walmart and I looked around, relieved that the layout was quite similar to what it had been before, although what they sold was almost completely different from the last time I'd been in Walmart.

"Alright, let's get you some school supplies." Alex said, looking around and I blinked.

"Oh yeah." I said, scratching the back of my head. "I forgot we were going shopping."

Alex looked at me before heading over to the bags and I followed him quickly. "I already have a bag." I said softly so that the mortals nearby couldn't hear. "My bracelet is enchanted to turn into a bag."

"You can use that bag to hide your demigod supplies like weapons at school." He muttered under his breath. "Let's get you one for mortal school."

I nodded and examined the bags, trying to find one big enough for my needs. _It'll need to hold food, water, ambrosia, nectar, a first aid kit . . ._

 _Wait . . . this is for school not quests or running away. What do I even need to fit in the bag again?_

I looked over at Alex and saw him holding a bag with one long strap and I frowned. "How would you even wear that?"

"Like this." He said, walking towards me and putting the strap over my head so that it went diagonal across my body. "Do you like it?"

I frowned thoughtfully. "It's easy to get stuff out quickly." I murmured, looking at the flap. "However it would be hard to get off quickly in a fight and hard to run with. That's bad for monster fighting."

Alex sighed. "This is for school, not slaying monsters."

"Monster attacks happen in school." I argued. "Cyclopes, empousia –"

"Oh, all schools have metal detectors at the doors now." Alex said before snickering a little. "Their mechanical bronze legs get picked up all the time by those things, it's a dead giveaway so they don't hunt demigods in school anymore."

I tried not to laugh but the idea of a monster setting off the metal detector at a school made me laugh.

"Wait . . . metal detectors at school?"

"To make sure we aren't bringing weapons to school to harm other students." Alex explained.

"Then how do you smuggle weapons in to defend yourself?" I asked, surprised.

"I don't." Alex said simply and my jaw dropped in shock. He noticed my look and gave me a little grin. "I have a dagger hidden in my locker, I take it to every class with me. Don't worry, I'm not reckless."

I nodded, wondering how he had managed to get a dagger into school in the first place but he was already taking the bag back, intent on shopping.

An hour later we had a bag, pencils, paper, scribblers and all other essential – and non-essential – supplies I'd need to survive school. We had just paid for it all when Alex told me to wait.

"I almost forgot, you said you needed an alarm clock." He said. "Hang on, I'll go grab it."

I nodded and he headed off down to the electronic section, which I had actively avoided. I waited for him to come back, looking around at all of the new – to me at least – technology and devices, taking a deep breath to clear my head, instead I got a whiff of something sour.

 _What's that smell?_ I wondered with a small frown, something nagging at me. I looked around and noticed that the mortals weren't noticing anything weird and if I didn't know any better I'd dismiss it as nothing, or my own odor.

But my gut was telling me something was wrong, and over the years I've learned to trust my gut instinct.

 _I should go find Alex._

No sooner had I thought that then I heard the sound of metal scrapping against a sheath behind me and I instinctively ducked, a sword passing overhead. I dropped my bags, spinning around on the ground and seeing a figure standing behind me with a steel sword. They were dressed casually in jeans and a dark hoodie, the hood pulled over their face and a pair of dark shades covering their eyes. Leather gloves were on their hands, gripping the giant sword with ease.

I examined their posture quickly, assessing the threat level. They were standing with their legs slightly apart and on the balls of their heels, ready to attack or defend with a moment's notice. They had already recovered from the failed swing, bringing the sword back around and over their head for the next blow.

 _Who is this person?_ I thought, scrambling backwards as their sword impaled the spot my leg had just been, getting caught in the ground.

I opened my mouth to call out for Alex before hearing mortals start screaming and running from the electronics section as well as crashing and an explosion.

 _Shit._ I thought, getting up and vaulting over the checkout counter, figuring my best option was to attack the man with Alex.

They left the sword in the ground and gave chance, surprisingly quick and nimble for such a big person. The teenage girl at checkout screamed, crouching down and covering her head.

"That person's trying to kidnap that girl!" A man exclaimed, pointing at me.

 _I need to get them away from the mortals._ I thought, watching as they checked a man aside that tried to help me, relentlessly chasing me. _But I have to help Alex._

I turned into the electronics section and almost died.

The moment I turned the corner I saw a cannibal hefting a bronze cannonball, it shifted its aim and threw it at me and I yelped, barely managing to drop to the floor in time to avoid getting hit.

The electronic section was a disaster, smashed computers and other things scattered on the floor among piles of monster dust and smoking craters. Shelves were tipped over and I couldn't see Alex anywhere.

Smoke alarms started going off and then something on the ceiling started spraying water on us and causing the electronics to spark and the cannonballs to sizzle.

Three cannibals were still standing and I opened my mouth to yell for Alex when I was grabbed roughly by the back of Alex's shirt, yanked upwards quickly and put into a choke hold, my feet off the ground.

I gasped in shock, and for air, kicking at them desperately and grabbing at the bicep encircling my neck but they were, without a doubt, stronger than me, I was skilled and had good stamina, but physical strength? Yeah no.

 _Weapons._ I thought, closing my eyes and trying to think past the arm around my neck, the alarms blazing and the freezing cold water soaking me to the bone and instead summon my weapons.

Crack!

The person stumbled forwards, their grip on me loosening for a split second and I took advantage of it, gasping for breath and kicking backwards with newfound strength, nailing them in the gut with my heel and they dropped me.

I fell on my hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air, putting a hand on my throat. I heard him growl behind me and a boy cry out in pain before I was yanked forwards.

I looked up, curling my free hand into a fist to punch them when I saw Alex looking at me in concern, his dark hair plastered to his forehead and blood running down the side of his face.

"Are you –" He started to shout but I noticed a cannibal chuck a cannonball at us and I grabbed the front of Alex's shirt, hauling him down on top of me and letting it sail harmlessly over us, crashing into another shelf of merchandise.

His face was right above mine, our noses brushing and I could feel the rapid beating of his heart from the adrenaline and fear pumping through him. I blinked as some blood from his face got in my eye, snapped out of the daze I was in.

He instantly tensed up, wrapping an arm around my waist and spinning to the side, hauling me with him as a club smashed the ground where we had just been. This time I was on top of him and I didn't hesitate before looking over to see a crack in the floor from the club.

I concentrated on my belt of throwing knives, grabbing one as the cannibal got ready to hit us, throwing it and impaling its shoulder. It wailed and dropped the club, the club falling harmlessly to the ground.

Alex released me and I let go of his shirt, quickly climbing off of him and whipping out another dagger, throwing it at the cannibal and making it disintegrate with a childish wail.

I couldn't help but feel a little bad, sure it had just tried to kill me and Alex but I knew where it was heading. I looked around for Alex and saw him dispatching another cannibal, his Stygian iron blade absorbing the monsters essence.

I looked around for the person who had attacked me and only saw a metal baseball bat lying discarded on the ground, my attacker nowhere in sight. I looked around for the third cannibal just in time to see it hurl another cannonball at Alex.

"Alex look out!" I yelled, too far away to help him.

Alex spun and tried to jump to the side to avoid the cannonball as I threw a dagger at the cannibal, sending it to Tartarus just as Alex screamed in pain, the bronze cannonball hitting him in the side and probably breaking a few ribs. He was spun around completely from the force, tripping over his own feet and crashing into a knocked over shelf with a cry of pain.

"Alex!" I yelled, running forwards and letting my concentration of my weapons slip, kneeling beside him. I grabbed his shoulders and gently rolled him onto his back and he groaned.

"You'll be okay." I said softly, grabbing the bottom of his soaked shirt and lifting it up to examine it, seeing an ugly bruise on his side. His breathing was turning raspy and I looked at him, worried. "Alex?"

"I'm . . . I'm okay." He said, his voice laced with pain.

I gently brushed my fingertips over the bruise and he flinched, gasping softly. "We need to get back to camp." I said, worried. "I don't have any ambrosia or nectar on me, do you?"

"Damn it." He groaned. "That's what I forgot."

I gently rested my hand on the bruise, getting ready to mutter a healing spell when the sound of police sirens split the air and I looked up.

"We have to get out of here." Alex rasped, trying to sit up and flinching violently.

"Let me help." I said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and supporting some of his weight. "Is there a back exit?"

He pointed towards a hole in the wall that one of the cannonballs had made, the edges sizzling from the water. "Yup."

I practically dragged Alex towards the back exit, knowing that the healing spell would have to wait until we were in the clear for mortal police.

It was only after I dragged Alex out of the gaping hole in the back of Walmart created by the cannibals exploding bronze cannonballs that I had left my school supplies inside.

 **So the ending kind of sucks but I couldn't figure out a better ending. Anyway, there's a little cliffhanger for you, hopefully the next chapter will be up this weekend. Until next time! :)**


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